Digimon Xros Wars: Conquering The Flame
by NinSegaGamer
Summary: On the other side of the world a year after Quartzmons defeat, a boy who wishes for once to get away from his unfair treatment gets plunged into the digital world. There he is saved by a Digimon who was once a former feared General. What starts as an attempt to repay the favor turns into trying to right the wrongs this Dorbickmon had committed in his past life.
1. Prologue

**Authors Note: This story takes place in the Xros Wars universe. The characters from Xros Wars are featured in here, but as side characters. This story is gonna be darker than Xros Wars was. Locations that were destroyed have either been rebuilt back, or rebuilt as something new. That aside, enjoy the story**.** All digimon and characters that are from Xros Wars belong to Akiyoshi Hongo and Toei.**

* * *

**Prologue: The End Of A Sentence**

Two years have passed since the Xros War that occurred when the world was split into zones, and thanks to the king and his legendary human partner, all was peaceful for the citizens residing in the world. However, it was not peaceful for the ones who had conspired against it. Those who had died of an evil and malice heart had to pay dearly for their actions, whether or not they were blind to the truth. The king of the Digital World was completely unaware however, that an old location that was the literal hell in the Digital World, which was destroyed in the Xros War, had come together and rebuilt itself as something worse. While the King and his group of friends were investigating the enigma that was known to be called DigiQuartz, the five evil Death Generals that were under the command of the evil empire that tried to plunge the Digital World into chaos were sent to suffer for their cruel crimes. They were sent to this hell and one by one, they were subjected to cruel torment for grueling months. It was not until their data rebuilt itself and was ready to be sent back to the Seven Kingdoms did they escape their punishment. With the fall of Quartzmon, the creator of DigiQuartz, the Digital World was returned to a time of peace between the Seven Kingdoms. However the five Death Generals had suffered for that entire time. One of them, the Fire-Fury General, was brutally beaten by his tormenters.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Hit him again!" a voice yelled out maniacally. The being who laughed was covered by a dark cloak that covered his identity.

"This time with even more force!" he told his partner, who was also hidden in a similar cloak, only in bigger size. The one standing next to him followed the order without relent, and struck another blow to the general they were attacking.

"Gah!" the victim yelled in pain as the blow crushed his stomach in. He was a red dragon, his arms and legs were tied in chains to a steel wall, that no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free. His entire being was beaten up brutally, his arms slashed at and bloody, his upper body scarred all around and burned, his face nearly swollen.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Look at him! His face is priceless!" one of his torturers laughed as the dragon's pain continued. The other torturer continued to beat him senseless. The dragon tried to fight back, but no avail, the chains had him completely unable to land a blow, not even his other attacks would come out.

"Hang on!" the smaller torturer told his fellow partner.

".what?" his bigger partner asked.

"Enough with the beating, lets get down to the serious stuff!" he replied, and went over to pick up a nearby blade they had.

"Hmph…alright" his partner smirked as he backed away to let his comrade have his turn. The latter walked towards the dragon and stopped when he noticed something, much to his pleasure.

"Heh, so you've finally stopped fighting, eh? Good, now the real fun can begin!" he sharpened the blade, then readied himself and went in for a stab to the dragons' heart. He stopped abruptly before the impact when he heard the sound of a bell ringing in the distance. He turned to the dragon, who has started to vanish into small bits of yellow light, much to his torturer's discontent.

"Aw, he's going back already? We were just starting!" he whined, as his partner took the blade away, "Has it really been a year and a half already?"

His partner rolled his eyes and turned around, "Our work here is done, we must move on to the next."

"Oh alright…" he whined, but then smirked at the dragon, "Count yourself lucky this time. I have a feeling we'll be seeing you sometime soon, and then we'll continue our little game!"

The dragon took one last look at the blood-red sky illuminating this completely desolate wasteland before vanishing away completely.

"See ya next time you drop into Hells Field, Dorbickmon! Maybe next time your sentence will last longer!" his torturer shouted as he and his partner moved on to find their next victim.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Enter The Digital World.**

"Damn it, Damn it, I'm late! Of all times for my alarm to not go off it picks the last day of school!" I tell myself, running towards my bus stop as fast as lightning, lugging around a brown and beige backpack that weighed about as much as cement.

"Almost there!"

Running across the street without looking. Turning the block and speeding up to reach the bus stop, a sound was heard mid-run that caused the focus to be deterred by looking back.

"What the…?" it was a mistake that ended with my face crashing into a pole.

"Ow…! That'll leave a mark…"

That same noise was heard again, yet there was nothing out of the ordinary in the surroundings.

"That's weird...I could have sworn I heard something roar just now..." however, the surprise came as the bus sped away without a certain boy on it.

"WAIT!"

The chase began, but was short lived as it sped away into the distance.

"Oh damn it all….." I sighed, checking my watch, "I still got forty minutes, better start running again..."

Cleaning off the dirt on my dark blue sweater, with its crimson collar, as well as my faint olive colored jeans with pockets all over and fixing my slightly spiked hair that resembled a sort of square, the race began to reach the school nearly two miles away, completely unaware that the sky had turned dark for a mere instant before returning to normal. At school, the sound of buses unloading and the talking of kids filled the air. Near the back of the school in a classroom, a boy was minding his own business with a small book and a pencil; he was very tall and skinny, seventeen years of age, with a short black sweater unzipped showing his brown shirt and long blue jeans that slightly covered his flat brown and white shoes. His hair was black, which was round near the back but spiked upward near the front. His eyes were dark brown and he had a black earring on each of his earlobes, along with a piercing under his lip. He sighed as he looked to the boy next to him, "He's late George…."

"He'll be here Raf…..he wouldn't miss today…" the latter replied. He was not as tall as his friend was, and wore a black unbuttoned shirt on top of a gray t-shirt, dark blue jeans and flat black and white shoes. His eyes were also dark brown and his hair was slightly square-shaped near the back, but fell into a more rounded shape near his forehead. He reassured his friend, "I bet Carlos is walking down that sidewalk towards the forum right now as we speak."

Rafael shrugged, "If you say so..." and dove into his blank canvas in an attempt to draw something, "But if he doesn't come, it's your fault…"

George laughed, "Sure it is Raf..."

A few yards away from the school, the watch beeped, signaling that there was rten minutes before the bell would ring.

"Almost there!"

Running up a hill, the sight of a very small high school came into view. All the walls were gray, and the sign in front of the school that had the name was being renovated, blocking the wording on it with a tarp. I rushed in down the walkway, into the giant forum, which doubled as our cafeteria, and headed out the back doors. Sprinting down the corridor and into the door of room number sixty, to boys looked over at me.

"I'm here!" they heard me exclaim, taking in a deep breath. One boy looked to the other.

"See? I told you."

The other just nodded, "You're late..."

"Yeah...my alarm clock didn't approve of me today guys...that and the lack of sleep distracted me on the way to the bus stop."

Rafael and George were my two only friends I was close to for the past two years. It was our last day together because they were graduating this year.

"What do you mean?" George asked.

"Well...call me crazy…but on my way to the bus stop, I could have sworn I heard something roar behind me…"

Rafael just went back to drawing in his notebook, "Sure you did Carlos…"

"Quiet Raf...This is our last time hanging out here before you two graduate, lets make the best out of whatever time we have left."

They both nodded, and the three of us dove into our usual conversations, making small talk and joking every now and then between classes. As fast as our conversation went, school sped by.

"I hope we'll see each other every now and then." the two noticed me glancing down at the ground before Rafael and myself boarded the bus.

George gave us one last look, "Of course we will…in one year when you join us over there…"

"Right…."

Both he and Rafael were accepted into the school I wanted to go to in a year if accepted. It was close to home so travel would not be such a hassle.

"We'll always be friends right?"

He smiled, "Of course…" We all gave each other one last fist bump as we departed. We parted ways when we got off the bus stop. Arriving at home and locking myself in my room, my parents had not arrived from work. It was honestly a relief, since there was no drama to put up with. Since the day of my tenth, for some unknown reason, father had just stopped caring about me. He always starts arguments with me. Standing up to him was futile, since my mother always took his side, telling me respect him. However, respect doesn't come from putting down the only son they've had. My eyes closed, taking a quick nap to try to forget about it for now. Waking up around dinnertime, I strolled over to the kitchen to get a bite to eat, and ate the rice slowly, trying to enjoy every bit of it, only to hear father wanting to start arguing.

"Look at him...how he engorges himself…" he growled. The appetite quickly faded. There was no need for his stupid remarks. A simple glare was all he got, and silence filled the air for a while.

"Hmph...can't even stand up to me like a man..." he grumbled. The only reaction was the sound of the fork being forcefully slammed onto the table.

"Don't start this…" mother told him.

"He won't do anything..." father huffed, "All he's good at is wasting his time on a damn machine instead of being useful…"

I snapped, "Why don't you shut the hell up and let me eat in peace for once?!"

"Shut that trap of yours…" he threatened

"Make me!" he heard me yell.

"Carlos! Respect your father!" mother scolded me. A simple glare was my response to him.

"I'm not hungry anymore…."

Storming out of the kitchen, they watched me grab my sweater and open the door.

"Where are you going?!" mother shouted.

"Out for a walk!" was my response.

"That's right! Just like you to run away like the damned coward you are!" my father barked. Slamming the door forcefully & zipping up my sweater, I walked out. The route on the very back of town was quiet since no one was around, allowing me to think things over. Growing up knowing to stand up for what was right, it was unfair not being able to stand up for being treated unfairly at home. It angered me with hate, living in a situation that couldn't be changed, no matter what occurred.

"Can't...can't I just for once...get away from this...?"

Going over to Rafael or George's house was out of the options. They lived too far away to walk there, and I didn't have their contact information to call, so there was no one to turn to. Rafael didn't have it as bad, and George was lucky to have a family that cares about him. My existence only mattered when my father wanted it to, because he wanted something. Thinking he would change his behavior, my naivety kicked in in hopes he'd change his ways, but he never did. Just to get away from that treatment, from him, would be nice for a change. It was when an abandoned storage building was passed by that was worn out when that sound, that sound of something roaring, echoed. The only difference was that it was much louder this time.

"What the hell...?"

Right after it faded away, a tremor hit, and a very strong one.

"What the-?!" I managed to keep my balance, "We're close to the shoreline, how could a tremor that fierce hit?!"

In that moment, something hit the abandoned building. Turning to look, there was nothing out of the ordinary. However, that moment would forever be drilled into my memory. For one second, that whole scenery had changed and it was completely surprising what it turned into.

"What the hell?!"

In that one split second, the image of two dragons fighting each other appeared, and under my feet, the small part of sidewalk started to glowing, until it was covered in a bright light.

"Gah!" it blinded me, and the floor below seemed to have disappeared. The light surrounded me, and quickly turned into a sort of tunnel, made of nothing but different colored blocks all around.

"What is this...?! Woah...!"

The blinding light appeared again, and when it faded, the end result was meeting the ground back first.

"Ow..." I groaned, "That's gonna take a week to heal...where am I...?"

A beautifully lush green meadow, with many different types of flora, including red tulips and blue roses, surrounded me for miles. In the distance was a gigantic mountain range where the sound of water was resonating from.

"A river...?" my mind was curious, "This place is beautiful...but why am I here...?"

As the thought pondered in my mind, the same sound heard back in the human world appeared again.

"There it is again, and close by!"

Arrived at the source of the sound, the scene had struck me in surprise. It was the two dragons from before.

"N-no way..."

Standing right next to them were a few boulders on the ground. That helped conceal myself from being spotted. They were both dragons, however one of them had a more human-like build. He was a bipedal crimson dragon, with gray spikes protruding out of his shoulder blades, knees and out of the sides of his forearms. They were also protruding around his entire collar and some near his abdomen. He also had three black horns coming out of his back and one on the top of his snout. The dragon was also wielding two red horns near the top of his head. Along with that, he had two black and silver cannons on his chest with the symbol of a flame on them, and his eyes were yellow with purple irises. He wielded gauntlets and shin guards with red scales in the shapes of diamonds on them, as well as silver claws as fingers. There were also crimson scales shaped like spikes protruding out of his lower jaw, and other much larger ones on the back of his head. What stood out the most were the two scars that ran down his eyes, making his glare a lot more intimidating as he stared down his opponent. The other dragon was a darker shade of red, with black scales on his neck and around his abdomen as well as this lower jaw being a light purple color and the front of his tail being white, as well as parts of his chest and shoulders. He had a more serpent-like body and wielded two arm blades on his forearms, red and orange wings that resembled flames, and three claws on each hand. It had spikes protruding out of his upper jaw, as well as behind his eyes and on top of his head. In addition, he had spikes growing out of his back that were pointing to his chest. Its eyes were black with red irises, and looked bloodthirsty. His most prominent feature though, was that on his chest, shoulder blades and even on his head, was a symbol for radiation. It snarled at the former, who wasn't fazed one bit.

"Hmph...is that your despicable excuse for a threat...? Pathetic..." he snarled, "Come Megidramon...that is...unless you're a weak coward!"

"T-they can talk?!" his deep angry voice surprised me. Megidramon was enraged and spewed out a blast of fire from its mouth at his opponent, who merely jumped out of the way.

"Woah..."

He landed behind Megidramon and delivered a blow to the beast's face. It grunted in pain and attempted to slash the others face, but the latter blocked it and slammed into Megidramon, causing him to roar in pain again. The other dragon yelled, "Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" and the cannons on his chest lit up as he shot out two blasts of fire at Megidramon, who fell back.

"Is it over...?"

The dragon then walked up to Megidramon, and I saw that he was going to spew flames from his mouth, but was surprised when he actually summoned a blade of flames from his mouth.

"I'll end this quickly..." he growled, and went in to stab Megidramon in his heart, however, to his surprise, Megidramon used his tail and wrapped it around both of the other dragons arms in a strong grip that stopped the attack.

"What?!" the other dragon exclaimed, and Megidramon took the opportunity and hit him with a blast of fire to the face.

"Gah!" he roared in pain and in the midst, let go of his sword as Megidramon quickly let him go, stood up and stabbed the other dragons eye with his claw.

"Grah!" the other dragon cried out in pain, and the loudness of it shook me to my core. He held his eye, which was dripping blood. Megidramon then assaulted him with a mix of fire and brutal attacks. The latter couldn't defend himself since the damage to his eye was too great for him to handle, and was forced back towards me. I ran and hid behind a different rock, which was a mistake because he was hit back in that direction and landed right in front of the rock. He didn't see me, but it was obvious he was in need of help.

"Stop it…" the horror of this battle angered me, since there was no way to stop it. Megidramon proceeded to roast him with his flames while he was down, causing the other dragon to yell in pain again, which was pure pain to the ears.

"Cut it out..!"

Looking at the two, the crimson dragon was out for the count, defenseless as Megidramon was glaring down at him. He snarled and readied himself, and went in to stab the other dragon's heart. In that moment, everything inside just boiled up in anger.

"Cut it out!"

I ran out of my hiding place and towards the dragon. Megidramon noticed and hit me away with his hand.

"Gah!"

As he hit me to the ground, he dislocated my shoulder with that blow. The other dragon had snapped back to consciousness and saw Megidramon approaching me. Sitting back on the rock, Megidramon was looking down in my direction. He roared and approached me at an alarming fast pace, opening his mouth and revealing his sharp fangs. Closing my eyes, it felt like it was gonna be the end of my time here. However, in that moment a slashing sound broke the silence. I opened my eyes only to see the sharp fangs of Megidramon right in front of me, not even an inch away. He collapsed on the floor, showing that the blade of flames was stabbed right through his chest. The other dragon had stopped him. Standing up and mustering every inch of strength, the dragon watched me ram into the boulder with the shoulder that was dislocated. There was a cracking noise, but after that my shoulder was able to move normally again. Megidramon slowly started disappearing, and small orbs of light were coming out of his body as he vanished in an instant. The other dragon started to walk away. Attempting to run up to him, he looked back at me with a threatening glare.

"Don't follow me…" he snarled. The fact that he was glaring with his bloody eye made it all the more frightening. He continued to walk off. Normally, his warning would have stopped me form following him for a better chance of safety, but he saved my life, and the favor needed to be returned. Therefore, despite the warning, I followed after him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The DigiKing's Legacy.**

Following him wasn't easy since he was bigger than a building. One step for him was like ten yards to me, but it was at least easy enough to keep him in sight. He never looked back to notice whether or not he was being followed. My mind pondered the thought, as well as the thought that he knew, but didn't care.

"Where's he going...?"

The sound of the river from before was heard again, as he entered a large forest. I followed posthaste, and hid in a nearby bush when he squatted down near a riverbank, which was surrounded by trees all around, as well as small yellow flowers.

"What's he up to...?"

He put his hands in the water and started to clean the injuries that Megidramon had inflicted on him. When he turned his face slightly, my eye caught a glimpse of his injury. It was surprising to see that it had healed slightly since the battle, yet he hadn't done anything to treat it until now.

"Incredible…"

The dragon washed his eye thoroughly, as well as his face, cleaning all of the dried blood. I sat there hidden and observed. From what he was doing, it was obvious he knew this land well. He used some of the nearby plants and made some sort of remedy he applied to his eye so it could heal. He also had gathered some apples and roasted them over a fire. The smell of the food from the fire went inside my nose, and it was very tempting.

"Mm…" my stomach growled. Since arriving here, wherever here is, the thought of eating had not surfaced until now. He stood up when he was done with his meal, and took off the leaf he had put on his eye to heal. The result was astonishing. The dragon's eye was almost fully healed after just a few hours.

"Amazing…"

He was starting to head out when I stood up and collided with a branch, "Ow!"

He heard me and turned back to look at the hedge behind him. Despite trying to hide again, it was no good. He saw me.

"Come out..." the drake threatened viciously, "Before I blast you into smithereens..."

Not wanting to risk the warning being a bluff, he watched me walk out of the bush, revealing myself to him.

"It's you..." he growled quietly, "I thought I told you not to follow me..."

His tone was frightening, and because of that it was difficult to explain without sounding afraid. "Well I just-"

"Hmph…" he cut me off and turned to leave "Just scram kid…"

"Wait!" I ran over to try and stop him, but he jumped across the entire river in one leap before being able to grab a hold of him. It caused me to lose my balance and fall into the river as he landed on the other side.

"Help!" my voice drowned out under the water, as the struggle to keep my head above the water began. Never learning how to swim, it wasn't long before the water was all around. He just took one last glare at me and walked away. The river was too huge to get back to shore, and in a few minutes I drowned, losing consciousness.

In the midst of it, a voice started echoing in the mind.

"Hey...you ok...?" it asked. All of a sudden, a major blow to my stomach jolted me awake and caused the regurgitating of water.

"Is that what you call CPR?!" it heard me yell at it in between coughs.

"Sorry..." it apologized, "But it worked didn't it?"

After coming to I caught a look at the being. He was yet another bipedal red dragon, however he was much shorter than the other two. He was as tall as my midsection. He wore two black and white ear buds with the symbol of a crown on them, a yellow scarf, a plate of armor on his chest, as well as a belt around his waist. The top of his head was shaped like a V, and he had some scars near his face. His eyes were a cerulean color, and his belly, forearms and feet where white.

"You know...you're a lot heavier than you look." he commented. It sounded like a comment, but had the intention of an insult. The comment was true though.

"Um...who are you...and why are you insulting me?" I asked.

"Sorry about that..." he apologized, "My name's Shoutmon, and you are?"

"...Carlos."

"Carlos, eh? That's an interesting name..." the dragon smiled. A cold breeze hit us, and it revealed that my sweater was gone.

"W-where-?!"

"It's over there." Shoutmon pointed over to my sweater that was hung over a branch, "It's probably dry by now."

He watched me walk over and unhook it from the branch, putting it back on. The damp, icy feeling from the water was still there, but it was dry at least.

"Where am I Shoutmon?"

"You're at the base of Dragon Falls" he responded, "I saw you floating unconscious heading for the waterfall. I saved you from a nasty fall"

"Thank. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

"Nah, don't mention it. You don't have to make it up to me."

"How courteous of you."

"How'd you wind up in the river anyway?" he asked.

"I was following another dragon that saved my life, however he shrugged me aside when I followed him to repay the favor. He jumped across the river right before I could grab a hold of him, causing my plummet into the river."

"I see..." he put his hands behind his head.

"I still want to repay him...but he's long gone, and without his name, there's a small chance of encountering him again..."

"Yeah, without a name he'll be hard to find here in Dragon Land"

"Dragon Land...? Where exactly am I...?"

Shoutmon gave me a smile, "You're new around here…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, better start from the top. This entire world is called the Digital World."

"The Digital World...?"

"Yep, where creatures known as Digimon reside. We live, breathe and feel pain like you do."

"I see...so the dragon who saved me..."

"Yep." he responded, "He's a Digimon, and so am I. I'm the Digimon King"

"King?"

"That's right. Why else would I wear these ear buds?"

"You're so young though! How'd you swing that?" I asked.

"It's a long story." Shoutmon responded.

"We've got time."

He smiled, "Alright." He sat down next to me and cleared his throat, "Well, let's start from the beginning…"

For the next few hours, Shoutmon talked about the Digital World, and how an army known as the Bagra Army tried to take it over. It was quite an earful. Shoutmon explained everything, from the formation of his army Xros Heart, to the defeat of Bagramon and his entire army, as well as the Seven Death Generals, who were a group of Digimon and the Bagra Army's top generals. It consisted of seven Digimon; Dorbickmon, NeoVamdemon, Zamielmon, Splashmon, Olegmon, Gravimon & Apollomon. Not only that, but he also told me about DigiQuartz, which was a place in between the Human World and the Digital World, where Digimon roamed into and caused trouble, and he explained how he and his friends became hunters to find out its secrets.

"Wow...That's truly an amazing story."

"Thanks," Shoutmon smiled, "And don't worry, we can get you back home in no time."

"Thanks..."

"Don't mention it." he smiled, "Now are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little..."

"I'll get us some DigiNoir, wait here for a moment..." he stood up and went off into the forest.

"Ok..." he saw me nod. When he was gone, I placed my hand on the shoulder that Megidramon had hit. It still hurt, but it was healing. However, my mind wasn't concentrating on the pain, but on Shoutmon's story, or, more specifically, the first Death General he talked about, Dorbickmon the Fire-Fury.

"Could that really have been him...?"

His description fit the dragon that saved me perfectly.

"If that was really him...then why did he save me...?"

From what Shoutmon told me, he along with the others except Olegmon & Apollomon, were cruel Digimon who only used the ones they commanded and killed them off if they disobeyed or messed up. If that was true, then why did Dorbickmon save me when he could've let Megidramon kill me first...? That thought pondered through my mind, but it wasn't gonna linger there, so the decision was set. I would stay here, find Dorbickmon, get an answer and repay him for saving my life.

"Hey I'm back!" Shoutmon yelled from afar, "Here you go!"

He handed me a yellow can-like object with a striped pattern to it that resembled a bee.

"What is this?"

"DigiNoir." he responded, opening his can, "Try some!"

Taking his advice, I opened the can and tried some, noting their sweet taste, like pure honey condensed into a small fruit.

"These are pretty good..."

"Yep! Once you're finished, we'll start heading back so we can get you back home!" he muffled while he ate.

"Actually...I'm curious now...Can I get a look around this place?"

"Sure, but don't you want to go home?" Shoutmon asked. There was a moment of silence. There wasn't any feeling of wanting to go home anymore. To go back and be treated like a ghost, or like garbage, is not something that anyone would eagerly want to go back to.

"Uh, y-yeah...but it's a one time chance to come here...I'd like to see more..."

"Ok...well when you want to return, just say the word."

"I'll keep that in mind..." he watched me stand up, "Shall we get going...?"

"Alright." Shoutmon stood up, "Follow me."

He turned to walk into the forest, with me following. My mind was pondering the wonders this world could have in store. As we strolled along I asked Shoutmon some questions to understand his story a bit better,

"So you talked about being able to perform something called a DigiXros, how'd you do that?"

He looked at me, "With the help of a Xros Loader."

"And what's a Xros Loader?"

"It's a device given to humans to store Digimon. They could also use it to perform a DigiXros, where they combine two or more Digimon into one, or in some cases, perform what is known as a Chou Shinka to evolve their Digimon into a stronger form."

"And how do you get a Xros Loader?"

"Back then, you were chosen to wield one. However now, the Digimon Hunt has become a sort of sport, so some are given away in stores specific to hunting."

"I see...is there a difference between them?"

"Yes, a store bought Xros Loader can't store as many Digimon and it can't perform a Chou Shinka, plus it's breakable."

"And what does 'Chou Shinka' mean?

"It's a term for 'Super Digivolution'. I and some other members of Xros Heart are able to use it to Digivolve."

I nodded in understanding.

"However, I also read in an old book at my castle that there was one other different type of Super Digivolution, but the pages after it were gone."

"So there's no record of it then?"

He looked down, "Unfortunately no...but I won't give up! A king never would! I know one day I'll get to see it in action, and that day I'll record it for future generations!"

"Heh...Right."

Despite being king, he still has vigor. That attribute was likeable about him. We traveled for quite a while until we came across a small city in Dragon Land, or small in comparison with the entire land, which was bigger than a continent.

"Woah..."

It was astounding to see such a huge city, filled with many different Digimon of all sizes and appearances.

"Welcome to Dragon City." Shoutmon told me, "It's the only city in Dragon Land, but it's constantly teeming with the life of three cities!"

The sights were astonishing, however, my attention shifted when Shoutmon started running off.

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

"I've got to run! There are some important things I've got to take care of!" he shouted.

"What if I get lost?!"

"Don't worry about it!" he replied and was gone soon after.

"Damn...guess I'm on my own...I don't even have any money...if they use any..."

Walking around the city and looking around at my surroundings, there was an astonishing amount of buildings. There was skyscrapers, towers and even huts built on top of each other like puzzle pieces, all having unique colors and shapes. There were also markets for food, as well as food carts being operated by Digimon and even a hospital. I ended up near the center of the city before becoming aware of it it, where there was a map of the city on a bulletin board. From an overhead view, the entire city was shaped like a dragon's wing, with a river running underground. The center of the city had a small park, with swing-sets for the smaller digimon, as well as many different trees; oak, pine and even balsa trees. I sat down on a bench to take a rest.

"Wow...This whole place...lives and feels like I'm back in the human world. It's filled with life...but...I can't help but feel it's missing something..."

Looking around, many Digimon were to my left and right, but then something familiar caught my eye.

"Is that...?"

Getting a closer look at the digimon, and there was no doubt about it. It was him.

"Dorbickmon!"

The tailing began again to try and catch up to him. The questions in my mind needed to be answered, and the need to repay him was also there. He walked over to the east side of Dragon City, which was more traditional, with a small wooden bridge where the river ran under. The digimon stopped at a small food stand selling DigiNoir by the looks of it. The owner was a golden-beetle like Digimon with six arms and red colored eyes. He was a bit round, and wore a breech-cloth as well as a giant pink necklace around his neck. I got closer and observed the two. Dorbickmon was looking at what he was selling, possibly because was gonna buy something, but the seller stopped him.

"Hey! Hey! Not for sale!" he yelled at Dorbickmon, angering him.

"Grr...Why not?!" the dragon snarled.

"We don't sell to the likes of you!" it exclaimed, "You're a disgrace to this place, Dragon Land, and Digimon everywhere! Now scram, drake!"

Dorbickmon slammed his fist down in anger. Other Digimon then started to turn and look, and it was shocking to see so many glares of hate pointed at him. He turned back, saw all these looks, then gave one last threatening look at the seller and stormed off. The pure sight of it caused some anger to boil inside me.

"That's what was missing...the hate..."

Even in this gorgeous city, there was hate, and lots of it. It looks like they haven't moved on from what happened two years ago. The pure sight of it was sickening, and it in turn, evoked sympathy for Dorbickmon.

"Poor guy…" I took a glance at the cart and hatched an idea, but it wasn't a very good one.

"I'm probably gonna regret this…"

Walking towards the stand, the digimon glanced at me, and put on a smile.

"Hey! What would you like kid?" he asked. Looking up at the banner, it had the name of the digimon; apparently his name is Konguemon.

"Um…" I looked around to find something that would buy me enough time, "That one! That big container back there!"

"Ah, you have fine taste!" he commented, and went back to get it. Immediately snatching two small containers of DigiNoir for myself, no one noticed me grab a giant container half my size and start running for it, though the big container slowed the escape down since it was so heavy.

"Here ya go!" Konguemon came back, but noticed there was no one around, "Where'd he go…?" He then turned and his eye caught the robbery.

"Hey! Someone stop that kid!" he yelled, but I managed to get enough distance from him and went inside a building to hide..

"Phew….that was close, now to find Dorbickmon…huh?"

Looking around inside the building, there was a long table, as well as stools lined up in a straight line right next to it. From behind the counter, there were many bottles with labels on them. The writing on them was foreign, so their names were unknown. There was also a few pool table fit for big Digimon in the top right corner of the room.

"A bar...? In the Digital World?"

Apparently so, it was a bar and there were many Digimon around getting a drink. The sight of it seemed to give off a feeling like if it was just like the Human World.

"It's like I never left…"

I stood up, grabbed the container of DigiNoir, and continued my search for Dorbickmon, using the direction he stormed off in as the starting point. Eventually, the chase ended up near the exit to the city, without seeing him in sight. The lack of progress was very discouraging, but then two very familiar black horns caught my eye in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it was him luckily, leaving the city towards the mountains again. I followed, carrying the DigiNoir.

"Hey!" he heard me call out to him. Surprisingly, it actually caused him to stop walking, and he was near the entrance to the mountain range when we were a few yards away from each other.

"You're a hard Digimon to find you know?"

"You..." he growled, "I thought I got rid of you at the river..."

"Shoutmon saved me."

"Shoutmon..." he snarled and started to walk away.

"You're name's Dorbickmon!" I yelled at him, and yet again he actually stopped and looked over.

"...Dorbickmon the Fire Fury...You were the Death General of this land until Xros Heart defeated you..."

"You..."

"Shoutmon told me about it..."

That response cause his glare to be even more hateful.

"...what the hell do you want...?" he glowered. It was obvious he didn't like me. I went up to him, put the container of DigiNoir down, and walked back. He glanced down at it.

"I saw what happened back there...It wasn't right for him to do that, even if you were a Death General. So I stole that from him to give you..."

It was clear that he wouldn't thank me for it, but there was no expectation he would. Nonetheless it was surprising to see him kneel down, grab the container, open it and take a bite.

He scoffed, "Hmph, I'm not fooled by your act. You wouldn't waste your time doing this for me. Now spill it, what do you want?"

"...answers. In your fight with Megidramon, you saved me from becoming his lunch, why?"

"Hmph..." he scowled, "Get this straight kid, that Megidramon was an idiot to have lowered his guard like that. I only finished what I started. You being saved by it was a mere coincidence!"

"Then why didn't you wait until he killed me?"

"Hmph! Get lost kid!" he walked away.

"I'm not a kid! And I want to repay you!"

He turned around and glared again, "You want to make it up to me? Then do me a favor and GET LOST!" he roared and turned to storm off again.

"You saved my life!" I yelled at him. He turned back again, but this time he was snarling and gritting his teeth.

"...whether you wanted to or not. I would've walked away if it wasn't for how close I was to death at that moment. Glare at me all you want, but I won't stop until I've repaid you in full...whether you want me to or not..."

That reply tipped his anger.

"You damned brat!" he roared and went in to hit me with his fist. I readied myself for the attack when a fireball came out of nowhere and exploded in front of us both.

"Grr, what now?!" he looked over to the attacker, and we noticed it was a familiar digimon.

"Shoutmon!"

"Get behind me!" he warned, and there was no objection to it.

"You...!" Dorbickmon snarled.

"Attacking a defenseless kid?! That's low even for you!" Shoutmon told him off, gripping a huge microphone in his hand, "But then again, when didn't you try to kill the defenseless when you were a Death General."

"Don't compare me to that life of being DarkKnightmon's pawn!" he bellowed, and looked more pissed off than ever. Both of them glared each other down, and it was Dorbickmon to make the move to leave.

"...I only wanted to help you for saving me Dorbickmon..." I told him. He turned back to glare at one last time.

"Get this drilled into that thick skull of yours…" he snarled viciously, " I don't need your damned sympathy…and I especially don't want help, from a DAMNED human brat, like you..." he stormed off.

"Say what you want, but I won't let this go until it's done…"

He didn't turn this time and left. Shoutmon turned to me and wasn't happy.

"Are you actively trying to kill yourself?! What were you thinking?!" he grabbed my hand. There was no response to his question.

"You're gonna tell me what you were doing tailing Dorbickmon, but not here. We're going to my castle."

I looked at him, and in a calm voice responded, "Ok."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The King's Apprentice **

We head towards Shoutmons Castle, which is located at the heart of the Seven Lands. His castle is connected to all the kingdoms. For a person, it would have taken months to get there by merely walking, but it took the rest of the day for us since we had flown there via OmegaShoutmon, which was Shoutmon's digivolved form. His body was all mostly clad in golden armor, his legs resembled blades, and he had two cannons on his chest. He retained his old features, like his cerulean colored eyes, as well as the V crest on his head, only it was much longer now. His face was white, as well as the middle of his abdomen, and he had a black mark that ran down his eyes and cheeks. It was surprising that he was able to super digivolve without Taiki's Xros Loader. I asked him about it and he explained that Digimon could digivolve by themselves, however it'd take months, even years of intense training. However it he was king; if anyone can pull it off, he could. We arrived late in the night, most of the castle was enshrouded in the dark of night, so it was hard to tell what it looked like from outside, other than it was as huge as a town. We passed through the foyer. It had a black and white tile floor, a giant red carpet which slid down the huge staircase up to the front gate, as well as columns lined up to support the second floor, both of which were filled with different corridors to go through. We headed up the stairs, down one the hallway on the left of the second floor, passing by many different doors that all led to different rooms. We tread past the corridor and ended up on a tower yards away from the main castle and entered the first room we passed, which had a bed.

"Get rest. We'll talk tomorrow..." he advised. I looked at him, and under his exhaustion, he had a serious look on his face.

"Alright..."

He closed the door behind him. It was a simple guest room, only furnished for royalty, the bed was huge, with a brown blanket on it, and two pillows. There was a second room, which had a shower that was human size and another that was digimon size. I walked out to the balcony, which was made of marble and had a border to prevent anyone from falling, and looked up towards the night sky. The thought of Dorbickmon circled my mind. Why does he refuse to let me repay him? Why does he hate humans so much? All these questions needed answers, but it was better to hold off on them for now. Walking back in and going to sleep, the night felt rather quick, and when dawn rose there was a small rabbit on the bed staring.

"Gah!" it startled me, causing me to jump and fall off of the bed, hitting my head on the floor. "Ow..."

"He-he-he!" it laughed. Standing up and holding my head, the digimon looked like a pink bunny with black eyes, wearing white earmuffs, a magenta scarf & small red boots.

"Surprised you didn't I?" it smiled.

"You...you're Cutemon aren't you?" I asked the Digimon. It fit Shoutmon's description perfectly.

"That's right kyu!" he replied happily, "And that over there is Dorulumon!"

He pointed to the digimon by the door, who also fit Shoutmons description. He was a quadruped best digimon with an orange mane. His body was mostly white fur with an orange flame design near his feet, black claws and long saber-shaped teeth fangs. His tail was a giant yellow drill, he had yellow eyes and a sort of helmet with a drill on his fore head, along with two black spikes protruding out of its back and one shaped like a blade protruding form his chest.

"Are you the kid named Carlos?" he asked.

"Yeah..."

"Shoutmon wants to see you..." he motioned to follow him with his head.

"Ok..."

They watched me get up and clean the room before followed Dorulumon out towards the courtyard. The view of the castle in the morning was astonishing. It was built from bricks, but when I kneeled down to feel the ground, it felt harder than concrete. It was mostly a shade of brown and orange, with the roofs being red and the shape of an upside down cone. The courtyard itself was also gorgeous. It had flowers of all kinds, even the ones from Dragon Land, as well as many others, and from a bird's eye view in the sky, the bushes in the courtyard was trimmed to resemble the symbol of Xros Heart. Dorulumon led me to the farthest part of the castle, which was guarded by a huge wall made from the same material that enclosed it. We walked inside, climbed a long spiral staircase which led up to the fifth floor, and came upon a huge wooden door.

"Woah..."

"Alright, come on." Dorulumon advised. The gate creaked open as we entered the throne room. Stone pillars provided the support for most of the room, and a red carpet stretched all the way to Shoutmon's throne, which was colored red and gold, and adorned with jewels and the symbol of Xros Heard embroidered on it. Shoutmon was there, looking out the window of the tower when he noticed we came in.

"Thanks Dorulumon" he told the beast. Dorulumon nodded and left. Shoutmon looked to the digimon next to him, "Knightmon, please wait outside. I'd like to speak to him alone..."

Knightmon had blue eyes, and was clad in silver armor, he had a huge shield on his back, and a sword on his left hip. His chest had a strange symbol on it, as did the tarp he had covering his groin. He nodded and left as well as the gate closed behind him.

Shoutmon turned, "Alright, now tell me, what were you doing following Dorbickmon?"

I took a deep breath, and replied, "He saved my life..."

The reply took Shoutmon for a bit of a surprise, but he kept his composure.

"He did...?" Shoutmon asked, "How?"

At that point, Shoutmon was informed of everything that happened up to the point where we met at Dragon Falls.

"...I see." he glanced back, absorbing the story into his head. He looked out the window again.

"...he saved my life Shoutmon...as hard as that is to believe...if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here..." he heard me restate.

"He let you drown and nearly hit you had I not intervened...he hates you..." Shoutmon muttered.

"He doesn't hate me...at least not yet, he hates that I'm human...he must have developed that after what happened at Dragon Land with that Kiriha kid."

Shoutmon stayed quiet.

"Please..."

He turned back to look at me.

"I can't..." he replied, "At least not right now..."  
"Wait...so...does that mean?!"

"...if you can wait until tomorrow night...I can help."

"Thank you Shoutmon."

"For the time being I want you to stay inside the borders of this castle. I don't want you getting hurt out there."

I nodded, then walked back to my room.

"...you're one insane kid..." he muttered to himself.

The rest of that day was spent waiting in the room given to me. The next day luckily didn't start with seeing Cutemon staring again. I cleaned the room, making sure to leave no mess for them to clean up, the royal treatment was nice, but not necessary. Grabbing an apple from a basket on the desk and walking out to the balcony to look around, there were many Digimon walking from place to place, minding their own business. In the courtyard a Knightmon was training a group of digimon. The group considered of many black and white digimon that looked like the pawns in chess, with spears in hand.

"Pawnchessmon huh..." I took a bite of my apple.

"Gah!" someone shouted. Looking over, a purple dragon Digimon was struggling to get up. He had long ears, as well as teal colored eyes, an X shaped scar on his forehead, and wore red rubber-like armor on his chest. His tail was shaped like a hammer on the end of it, with a yellow ring around it. His face, arms and belly had white fur on it.

"I'm guessing that's Gumdramon? Who's he fighting?"

Looking over, his opponent wore black boots, black pants and a black belt, some golden chains, cuffs of what looks like steel on his arms, a skull pendant around his neck, and some skulls on his shoulder. The digimon resembled a monkey, whose fur was white and skin brown, his eyes were yellow and he wielded a bō staff, wearing a strange looking crown on his head.

"Looks like Gumdramon isn't doing so well..."

"Hmph, is that all the wild child can muster?!" the monkey scolded. Gumdramon stood up.

"Damn it...I've barely landed any hits on him." Gumdramon muttered.

"You've let defeating Quartzmon go to your head!"

"I have not Gokuwmon!" the small dragon yelled.

"So his name's Gokuwmon..."

"Then show me!" Gokuwmon shouted. Gumdramon charged at him.

"Fire Vortex!" Gumdramon's tail was engulfed in a flame as he jumped up and performed a series of somersaults in the air, each time increasing his speed as he charged at his opponent. Gokuwmon easily jumped out the way as Gumdramon hit the ground. Gumdramon used the momentum to jump up using his hands.

"Jacked Hammer!" he attacked with his tail. Gokuwmon blocked the attack with his bō. The two struggled, however Gokuwmon managed to fend off the attack and hit Gumdramon in the face.

"Gah!" Gumdramon yelled in pain as he hit the ground.

Gokuwmon sighed, "You've lacked in training..." and walked off, leaving Gumdramon there.

"Damn it..." Gumdramon muttered, "Every day so far...it's the same result...no matter how hard I try..."

"Poor kid..." I finished my apple and walked back inside, unaware that he looked over.

"Who's that...?" he wondered as he rose to his feet. "Tagiru and Taiki haven't returned from the human world yet...unless..."

He walked into the castle. There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. Opening the door, it turned out to be Gumdramon.

"...can I help you?" I asked him. He simple came in anyway and ignored the question. Gumdramon started checking me out, even looking at me straight into the eyes. It was a very awkward moment

"Um..."

"...you have weird hair..." he commented.

"I do...?" I responded, grabbing a mirror. It didn't look any different from before. It was still it's flat top self spiked up slightly near the top, as well as the same brown colored eyes and face. Whether or not that was an insult was to be put into question.

"So you walk into this room...just to make fun of my hair...?"

He then jumped onto my shoulder, "...no"

His strange behavior confused me. "Then why-?"

"Whats your name kid?" he interrupted.

"...Carlos...and I'm not a kid, I'm sixteen."

"...weird name" he responded.

"Does everything I tell you come off as weird?" I asked, slightly irritated.

"...maybe" he turned around. His attitude made me sigh.

"So what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Waiting."

"For?" he tilted his head slightly.

"...Shoutmon"

"...Why are you waiting for Ou-sama?" Gumdramon asked again.

"Because he told me he'd help me"

"Help you do what?"

The more he asked the closer he got. All these questions he asked for details made it feel like it was an interrogation.

"...is there a problem between us...?"

"Did you know he already has a human partner?" he interrupted again, though it helped figure out why he's asking all this.

"...yes, Kudou Taiki. I'm not here to replace anyone Gumdramon. I'm here because Shoutmon told me he'd help in something that's too dangerous to do alone."

After that fact, he got off my shoulder and looked up, "I see...but how do you know my name?"

"Shoutmon told me about you, as well as about your partner Tagiru, Xros Heart and everything in between these events."

"Oh..." he mumbled. I nodded my head.

"Would you like some DigiNoir?"

"Sure..." he responded. He watched me walk over, grab a container of it and give it to him. He took it and ate it in all in one bite.

"Ah...thanks." he smiled for once.

"You're welcome."

He went over and sat on the bed, "So when did you get here?" he asked.

"The night before yesterday."

"I didn't see you yesterday though." he tilted his head again in confusion.

"I stayed in here. I don't like attracting attention."

"I see..."

"Yeah...I saw your fight with Gokuwmon."

When he heard that, he tilted his head down in shame.

"Oh..." he muttered. I walked over and sat next to him.

"Its nothing to be embarrassed about..."

"Yes it is..." he responded, "I saved both worlds from Quartzmon and yet I can't put up a decent fight with Gokuwmon..."

"Different stakes were on the line Gumdramon. You can prove Gokuwmon wrong."

"...you think?" Gumdramon asked.

"I know so."

He looked up at me with a slight smile, "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

For the rest of the day, Gumdramon showed me around the other parts of the castle. He started with the kitchen, which was huge, and run by many Toucanmon, which as the name states, was a digimon that looked like a toucan. They all had a similar look; their body was in a red egg-like shell, feathers were a dark brown, the beak was yellow and blue, and they had red and yellow shoes. The dining room was the same, with a seat for everyone who was part of Xros Heart. The whole tour took all day, with Gumdramon's favorite room being the last, which was also the place where the members of Xros Heart could relax, play a game of cards, and even get a massage.

"They have a masseuse?" I asked Gumdramon.

"What? Don't be silly! They have three!" he smiled. After a long day, we headed back to the room Shoutmon let me settle in.

"And that's the whole castle, what do you think?" he asked.

"...I think I'm gonna need a map the next time I visit."

Gumdramon laughed at the reply. We walked out to the balcony to get a glimpse of the night sky.

"Its a beautiful night..." I told him.

"Yeah..."

"Admiring the night sky?" we heard a voice ask us. We turned around to see a familiar king.

"Shoutmon!"

"You two seem to be getting along well."

"Yeah..."

"Well, are we gonna look for Dorbickmon or not?" he asked. My response was a simple nod.

"Can I go with you guys? Gumdramon offered to help. The king nodded in agreement.

"We've got all day tomorrow..." Shoutmon advised us.

"Alright." I told him. We followed him, grabbed some supplies for safe measures, and headed off into the night.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Fanglongmon, The Yellow Dragon**

We headed back to Dragon Land, and once we arrived, started our search near the outskirts of Dragon City. Each of us took a different path to find him; the paths were set up so that we went around all corners and streets of the city yet still ended up at the same place at the same time, which was the center of the city in the park. After hours of searching in the dusk we headed back to the rendezvous point.

"You find anything?" Shoutmon asked.

"No, nothing...Gumdramon?"

"No sight of him." Gumdramon responded.

"Looks like we'll have to search near the mountains" Shoutmon replied. We nodded and left the city as dawn started to rise. By the time we reached the base of the mountains, it was morning.

"Here we are..."

The mountains towered above us, making us look like ants. They were mostly barren, without much flora around them, and at the base there were three trails leading to different parts of the mountains.

"We'll split up to cover more ground" Shoutmon advised. He walked over and gave me a watch of sorts, with the symbol of Xros Heart on it.

"Anything happens...use this communicator" he told me.

"Alright..."

We parted ways as we individually headed down the trails. Gumdramon took the left, Shoutmon the right, and I took the center trail. My trail was the most barren, cutting straight through a large canyon, which had bones on both sided leaning towards each other to form an huge arch. There were no Digimon in sight, which was odd. There should have been lots of digimon living here; that's what Shoutmon stated, but there was no sight of any.

"Something doesn't feel right..." I muttered. Eventually, the search ended up in front of a huge mountain where the path ended.

"Damn...dead end."

"Find anything?" Shoutmon asked through the communicator.

"Nothing, my trail leads to the base of Dragon Falls" Gumdramon responded.

"What about you Carlos?"

"Dead end."

"Alright...lets meet back at the entrance." Shoutmon responded.

"Ok..."

Before leaving, I checked out the place, convinced that there was something more to this trail. Something caught my eye in the process.

"What the...?"

Near the top of the mountain, there was a small brush of leaves, like the branch of a tree. However this whole trail was barren. It wasn't possible for a small brush of leaves to be there, let alone anything teeming with life.

"Wait..."

Upon closer inspection of the mountain, there was a draft coming from one of the sides, which was blocked with rocks. I pushed them away and uncovered an opening. Upon looking inside, the path actually went onward.

"This mountains a diversion!"

The opening was big enough for a human to go through, and the search continued. The mountain was hiding a cave entrance, and I trekked on through the cave. When the exit of the trail was in sight, it led to another trail that cut across a mountain. Hiking up the trail, there was way more signs of grassland in the trail, with a lot more bushes and trees around the trail. And it was the trail that led to an astonishing sight.

"Woah..."

This entire range of mountains hid a small valley, filled with evergreen trees and grasslands. The river that stretched to Dragon Falls went through an opening the mountains on the far right had, and cut through the valley. However it's what was situated in the center that amazed me. There was a mountain towering over the valley in the center, however it kept a huge castle around it. The walls were brown and the towers roofs were dark red and cone-shaped. The most astonishing detail was that it was built inside the mountain, which provided the structure as well as the backside of the castle. The towers poked their heads out of the holes of the mountain, making it half castle and half cave. Above the huge wooden gate, there was a huge crest of a flame, and it was the same crest Dorbickmon had on the cannons near his chest.

"This is Dorbickmons home!"

For a former Death General, he resided in such a well hidden beautiful valley. However there was no time to stay here idolizing it. I was trespassing on his land, and if he found out, then there was nothing stopping him from killing me. Trekking back down the trail, I reached the base of the mountain.

"Damn...if I stay here, it won't end well..."

Running through the cave and out of the opening the fake mountain had, the rush began to go back and meet up with Shoutmon, however when it was time to run down the center trail, my faced bumped into something blocking the way.

"Ow! What the...?"

Looking up at the source, it was a huge gold colored dragon with two spikes protruding out of the back of his head, and six out of his back which were shaped like the ones on Dorbickmon's back, as well as many smaller ones around his body. However this Digimon was a quadruped; his legs had a diamond-like scale pattern to them, and he boasted eight red colored eyes; three on the sides of his face and two on his forehead, all of which had no iris. There were eight pink orbs floating above his body as he snarled viciously.

"Crap...its Fanglongmon" I muttered, backing away, until my back was resting against the mountain.

"...who are you to be trespassing in this part of the mountains..." he growled.

"Uh...uh..."

The fear caused me to stammer, making it unable to answer him, which only looked like it angered him more.

"The only penalty for trespassing here is death!" he roared as he went in to bite my head off..

"Dorbickmon saved my life!" I blurted out in fear, and suddenly everything went silent. "...huh?"

Opening my eyes, Fanglongmon was no longer baring his teeth at me. Rather, he had a surprised look, but kept his composure like Shoutmon.

"He...did...?" he asked, to be answered by a slow nod. He turned to look behind him for any followers, then turned back.

"...Come." he ordered, and jumped over the mountain, falling through the bush of grass near the top of the mountain.

"What the...?"

Upon closer inspection when I entered the cave entrance, it was surprising that the bush was actually another opening, for much large Digimon to enter through.

"Incredible..."

He walked towards a small trail in the forest, which diverted from the one that leads toward the valley that is Dorbickmon's home. However it was blocked by many evergreen hedges that were too big for him to walk through, and in addition they had thorns all around. He ordered me to crawl under the bushes as he leapt over the trees and landed on the other side. Not wanting to risk getting hurt, I did as he commanded, and it had a small enough opening to get through to the other side without getting caught in the thorns. The place was small, but was enough for Fanglongmon to lie down on his stomach. The huge pine trees blocked most of the view from the air, and were arranged in a circle to cover up anyone from peering inside, so it was well hidden. Aside from those two details and the few dandelions scattered around, it was mainly grass. Fanglongmon's stern expression was still there, and he never kept his eyes off me, as he responded.

"Now then human...explain yourself."

Once again, the same card used with Shoutmon was played again to explain my reasons for following Dorbickmon.

"...Dorbickmon saved my life from a Megidramon. I want answers from him..." I answered. Surprisingly, it was suffice enough, since Fanglongmon stood up, and started to leave as if he must have understood. But there was something else that pondered in my mind at that moment, which wanted to be answered.

"Wait!"

Before he jumped over the trees again, he stopped and responded, "...you may go, human..."

"Well...thanks, but that's not what I wanted to ask you..."

He turned to look at me, and in his seriousness, there was a sense of confusion as to why he was being addressed.

"Shoutmon's told me all about the Death Generals...however he didn't tell me about you other than being Dorbickmon's most trusted dragon...why'd you follow his orders...?"

The silence circulated for a while, until Fanglongmon looked down, as he glanced over in the direction where Dorbickmon's home is located.

"Like you, human...I owe my life to him." he muttered, which was a surprised; a dragon as strong as him having to be saved?

"...What happened?" I asked. He lied down on the floor again, and looked away.

"It's none of your concern..." he muttered.

"That might be true, and I don't blame you for not telling me...but I'd at least like something to help me understand Dorbickmon better. And since you were his most loyal comrade, I was hoping you'd help me..."

It took a few minutes, but Fanglongmon eventually turned and looked over again. However the look on his face wasn't as menacing or as stern as before. It was almost neutral.

"Very well..." he uttered. The tone of his voice no longer sounded menacing.

"...Thank you Fanglongmon..." I expressed my gratitude towards him, and sat down, as he started to tell his story.

"...it was dim and distant..."

* * *

"Damn it...! Search for him! He couldn't have gotten far!" a digimon ordered. He was a bipedal wolf with black fur, yellow eyes and white stripes on the top of his nose, on the tips of his ears, as well as on his forearms and back. He had a necklace around his neck and wore olive colored pants with a kneecap guard on them, one of them adorned with three spikes and a skull symbol adorned on the left thigh. The digimon had a brown belt running diagonally across his abdomen, which connected the belt worn around his pants to a beige colored shoulder protector, which was connected to a sleeve that the wolf wore around his left arm. He had gold colored brass knuckles on his left hand, while his right arm was adorned with another belt worn around his wrist and across his palm, as well as two silver iron collars on that forearm. The digimon as well as a group of other digimon started to search the land.

"Damn that Fanglongmon! Where could he be..."

His question was answered when the dragon dropped down on them from the sky and ambushed them, swinging his tail around fiercely as he attacked the other digimon by shooting an energy blast from his mouth.

"Damn you...!" the wolf gnarled, "Quick! Hold him down while we get our secret weapon! He isn't getting the upper hand against us this time!"

The other digimon attacked Fanglongmon with all their might. However, he leapt into the air, landing behind them and hit them with a _swish_ of his mighty tail. They all fell to the ground in pain.

"Grr...!" The wolf snarled; this was their tenth attempt at hunting after Fanglongmon, as he kept gaining the upper hand and then escaping under their noses. However the wolf was not gonna have the same result happen this time; he was determined to bring Fanglongmon down this time. The group attacked simultaneously, but Fanglongmon merely jumped up and attacked them with a blast of energy shot from his mouth, followed by landing on some of the group and hitting the rest with his tail. Some of them disappeared into data as the others got back up and attacked recklessly once again.

"Reckless attacks will never prevail in battle!" Fanglongmon roared as he blasted them with another energy blast and knocked them away with one of his front legs.

"Damn it...!" The wolf growled.

"What's our next move, ShadowWereGarurumon?!" one of the henchmen asked him. It was a bear with cobalt fur, a lighter blue mane on his neck and yellow eyes. His forelegs had a gloves with steel claws on them. as the former was given a needle.

"Keep him distracted, then we'll blind his sight!"

They attacked yet again without planning, and Fanglongmon easily got the upper hand. While he was dealing with the group, one of them started to sneak behind him.

"Fang Of The Emperor!" Fanglongmon roared as he grabbed on of the followers, threw him up in the air, then bit right through his body with his sharp fangs, deteriorating the Digimon into data.

However while he had attacked, the one who snuck up on him managed to get close to him and launch an attack, hitting Fanglongmon in the eyes.

"Grah!" Fanglongmon started to rampage out of control due to the pain, and lack of sight.

"Now!" ShadowWereGarurumon ordered. His followers managed to grab onto the dragon. As Fanglongmon struggled to break free, the wolf jumped up and using a needle, injected a blue colored liquid into Fanglongmon, causing his body to go numb.

"This is...!" Fanglongmon fell to the floor.

"Ha! Just like they told us! You can't move!."

"Damn...!"

"And here I thought the pollen being able to paralyze dragon Digimon was a mere myth!"

"The...flower...of..."

"That's right! We used the pollen from the flower of the Weeping Dragon on you! Your entire being will go numb, no matter what you do!"

"Damn...!" Fanglongmon muttered as he started to lose consciousness.

"Now we'll take what we came here fore! Your ore will sell for a hefty price!" he told the drake as he was given a blade, "Adios!"

However a blast of fire had attacked the other mercenaries.

"Gah!"

"What the-?!" the wolf turned around to see his followers injured.

"...what...?" Fanglongmon faintly muttered as he passed out due to the pollen reaching his heart.

When he awoke he glanced around to see the whole place ravaged, with much of the terrain now shifted differently than it was before he passed out, surprising him.

"Gah!" he heard someone yell in pain. When he looked over, he saw the wolf disappear into data at the hands of a crimson dragon digimon.

"Who are you...?" Fanglongmon asked, however the other dragon didn't respond.

The dragon turned to Fanglongmon, "...so you're alive...I thought these weaklings had put you out of your misery..."

"They blindsided me and injected pollen from the Flower of The Weeping Dragon into my body." Fanglongmon explained.

"...having to resort to a dragon's weakness...cowards like them fill this world with false strength.." the dragon growled as he started to walk away.

"You haven't told me your name." Fanglongmon told him, causing the other to stop. The dragon didn't answer him.

"Whether or not you meant to save me, I repay my debts to anyone on my honor." Fanglongmon told him.

"...Dorbickmon" he answered.

"Very well Dorbickmon, I will abide by your orders until I have fulfilled my debt in full." Fanglongmon responded. Dorbickmon stayed in silence.

"...if that's what you desire...however first...I must see whether or not this was a waste of my time..." Dorbickmon responded. Fanglongmon gave a confused look as the digimon turned around to face him.

"Fight me...here and now...as an assessment of your strength." he informed Fanglongmon, and got into a fighting stance.

"...very well." Fanglongmon told him.

"And DON'T hold anything back..."

"...as you wish..."

* * *

Fanglongmon paused for a moment from telling his story, giving it time to sink into my mind. It was a bit of a surprise to know how these two met, let alone under that circumstance. It seemed as though the both of us happened to be saved by Dorbickmon right before death stared us in the face. We shared that fact and that fact only in how we met Dorbickmon. A few minutes later, I gave Fanglongmon a nod of understanding.

"I see...What happened next...?"

Fanglongmon responded, as he looked over in the direction of the path to Dorbickmon's home again.

"He wished to fight me, and we did..."

* * *

Both of them stared each other down; Dorbickmon made the first move as he shot a fireball from his mouth. Fanglongmon dodged and countered with one of his own energy blasts. Dorbickmon avoided the attack; Fanglongmon saw his eyes flash for an instant, and watched as the whole ground sunk under his feet. By simply turning his hand into a fist, Dorbickmon made the entire terrain collapse on him.

"Yellow Rotation!" Fanglongmon roared as he created a gigantic typhoon that blew away the rubble, allowing him to jump out of the sinkhole. Dorbickmon ran at him at a lightning fast speed, and went in to kick him. Fanglongmon avoided it all the while charging another energy shot, which he shot out of his mouth. Dorbickmon spun around to avoid the attack and tried to kick at Fanglongmon's legs. Fanglongmon jumped up and tried to land on Dorbickmon, who jumped out of the way last second.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon bellowed as he shot two blasts of fire from the cannons protruding out of his chest. They homed in on Fanglongmon, who countered by shooting another blast of energy at them. Both collided in an explosion; Fanglongmon took the advantage and leapt into the air. Dorbickmon shielded his face from the smoke, and when it cleared he saw that Fanglongmon had disappeared.

"What?!" He looked up just as Fanglongmon had landed on top of him, slamming Dorbickmon six feet under.

"Never take your eyes off the opponent..." Fanglongmon told him as he jumped away. As he left he was surprised to feel the ground shake under his feet. He looked back, "What...?"

His question was answered when he saw the rubble Dorbickmon was buried under start to become bright red; a _boom! _of thunder was heard as the rubble disintegrated into nothing, and he saw Dorbickmon start emanating a faint red light.

"How-?!"

He saw Dorbickmon open his mouth, and watched as a flame started to form in it. It grew spontaneously as he saw it rise and then form a blade of pure flames.

"What?!"

"Tyrant Collbrande!" Dorbickmon thundered, the blade grew to three times its size as Dorbickmon attacked Fanglongmon with it. Fanglongmon avoided it just barely, and saw that the afflicted area had become bright red with heat, letting off smoke.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon fired two blasts of fire at him, however their power was amplified by three times as well.

"Yellow Rotation!" Fanglongmon created a typhoon to block the attack. However his attack had given Dorbickmon an opening as he trapped Fanglongmon in a sinkhole, and attacked again, this time the blasts hitting him dead on.

"Grah!" Fanglongmon roared in pain. His entire being was being crushed by the earth as Dorbickmon walked closer, with one of his hands in a fist to show he was crushing him with the land. He clenched his fist tighter, and the land crushed Fanglongmon even further.

"Gah!" He yelled in pain as he coughed up some blood.

"Time to end it..." Dorbickmon snarled, as he raised his blade in the air. However Fanglongmon wasn't gonna let it end like this, as his body started glowing.

"Tai..."

"What...?"

"kyo..." His entire body was starting to emit sparks of lightning.

"...!" Dorbickmon backed away quickly, his eyes flashed, and he modified the terrain to bury Fanglongmon as far down in the ground as possible.

"...ku!" Fanglongmon roared.

The entire battlefield was engulfed in a bright light as nothing but a high pitched noise was emitted, with a high enough frequency that the only thing Dorbickmon heard was a long beep noise. When the light faded, Dorbickmon emerged from out of the ground, and to his shock, saw the entire battlefield split, into two sides, one filled with data that emitted a bright light, while the other emitted a dark light. He was then blinded again with the light, and when it faded, he saw that now nothing remained but a huge abyss where the battlefield had been, and Fanglongmon was right in front of it, breathing heavily from exhaustion, his entire body damaged.

"This power..." Dorbickmon muttered. Fanglongmon walked towards him slowly, but saw Dorbickmon stab his blade in the ground, and the flame subsided, becoming nothing but a bone-like blade.

"...impressive..." Dorbickmon complimented him, "To be able to completely obliterate an area and leave no trace, is a sign that you are indeed powerful..."

Fanglongmon stood in silence as he heard this, confused by what he meant.

"...very well Fanglongmon. You may accompany me until you feel your debt has been repaid..." Dorbickmon acknowledged him, and walked away. Fanglongmon stood there, and after a while, followed.

* * *

"Wow...that's incredible..." I knew he had to have been a powerful digimon, but had no clue as to his true strength. He stood up, and walked over to leave.

"If we meet each other again human, and he wants you dead, then I will carry out his order without relent." he informed.

"...I understand, thank you for telling me your story Fanglongmon..."

He turned and jumped over the trees, while I crawled under the hedges. Fanglongmon started walking in the direction of Dorbickmon's home. He saw me walk in the opposite direction. When exiting the opening in the mountain that blocked the entrance to the cave, Shoutmon and Gumdramon were in the distance running over.

"Hey!" they called out to me as they ran over.

"You alright?! Your signal was cut off." Shoutmon asked.

"Im ok...I was just caught up in a conversation."

"Alright..."

"So did you find anything?" Gumdramon asked.

"I did..." I pointed over to the opening of the mountain, "That there was hidden behind a rock. It keeps going, and leads to a hidden valley in the mountains."

"A valley?" Shoutmon raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, and in that valley is a castle of sorts...it's Dorbickmons home."

"That's great!" Gumdramon exclaimed.

"Yeah..."

"Something wrong?" Shoutmon asked.

"No I'm fine, so what's the next part of the plan?"

"Well, we found Dorbickmon's home. If we can strike a deal with him, then we might be able to get you to repay the favor to him."

"Alright...sounds good."

"Come on, lets go back to Dragon City for now, once we're rested up well come back and tail him." Shoutmon advised us. I nodded in agreement, and the three of us headed back to Dragon City to rest. Meanwhile, Fanglongmon had just arrived at Dorbickmons quarters in the castle, which was dark since the only light was from a small window opening the castle had. Dorbickmon looked over, with his usual serious face.

"You're late..." he informed Fanglongmon, not bothering to turn around and face him.

"My apologies master, I was dealing with a pest that was giving chase..."

"...was that pest human...?" Dorbickmon growled. Fanglongmon stood in silence.

"...yes master."

Dorbickmon turned around abruptly, "If you see him tailing you again...then get rid of him..."

Fanglongmon stood in silence as he remembers the moment right before he was gonna attack me.

_Dorbickmon saved my life!_

The word _life_ circled around his mind as he remained silent.

"...do you understand...?" Dorbickmon growled.

"...yes master."

* * *

Author's Note: This one was definitely one of the more difficult chapters to write. But im gonna say it here. In Xros Wars, in no moment, did they ever insinuate, hinted, or tell us whether or not Fanglongmon is the sovereign. There can be others of the species as well. And since there was no indication, then in this story, he isn't the sovereign. If you dislike that and wish to no longer read, then I understand.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The New General**

Heading back to Dragon City, we went to the park in the center of the city and sat down on one of the benches. As we looked around, my stomach growled.

"Hungry?" Shoutmon asked.

"Yeah...kind of."

"I'll go get us some DigiNoir" he responded, and went over to get some at a nearby cart.

"You should try Konguemons DigiNoir! It's top quality!" Gumdramon told me.

"Yeah...wait what?" I glanced over to Shoutmon, who was buying DigiNoir at Konguemons stand, the same Konguemon that refused to give anything to Dorbickmon.

_Don't look over, don't look over, don't look over..._

Unfortunately luck was not on my side today because he glanced over and recognized me.

"Hey!"

"Crap!" he watched me try to make a break for it.

"That's the kid from before!" he yelled and started running over. In a desperate attempt, the escape for freedom began, however he jumped over and landed in front of Gumdramon and myself, picking me up by the sweater.

"Hey!"

"Now I've got you!" he yelled. It was that moment when Shoutmon walked over.

"What's the problem Konguemon?"

"This kid robbed me three days ago!" the digimon explained in a rather loud voice.

Shoutmon looked over with an expression that showed he was unamused.

_ "_Really...?" he crossed his arms.

"I only did it because you decided to play the hate game!"

"What do you mean?" Shoutmon asked.

"He didn't want to sell anything to Dorbickmon! And he also told him off, calling him a disgraceful dragon! I had every right to steal from this jerk!"

Shoutmon stayed silent, and hid his face in his palm as a sign of disapproval.

"Well, now you're gonna pay for what you stole!" Konguemon ordered.

"Not until you apologize to Dorbickmon!" I demanded.

"The day I apologize to that degrading drake is the day the sky falls!" he yelled, causing me to cross my arms and look away in annoyance.

"Then that's the day I'm paying you!"

Shoutmon sighed, "...Fine, I'll pay for it. The Royal Vault has way more money that I could ever spend..." He gave Konguemon a purple colored diamond shaped object which had an abundance of coins of all colors and sizes stored into it.

"A-A Terabyte!" Konguemon stammered.

"A what?" I looked at Gumdramon.

"Here in the Digital World, we use things known as bits to pay for stuff. The size and color of one determine the amount inside it. A Terabyte has about 100,000,000 bits in it." Gumdramon explained.

"Oh..."

At that moment, Konguemon let me drop to the floor and injure my posterior as he collected the money in his arms.

"OW!"

"Thank you for your generous offer king!" he told Shoutmon and went on his way as Gumdramon helped me stand up.

"Greedy jerk..."

"Eat your DigiNoir..." Shoutmon shoved a container in my hand as he tried to forget that moment. I ate it in silence as we rested for an hour, carefully planning how we were to approach Dorbickmon.

"You ready?" Shoutmon asked after some briefing.

"As ready as I'll ever be..."

"Alright, come on." he got up and lead the way, with us following. We headed back towards the trail, but when we arrived Shoutmon noticed someone coming our way, and grabbed us, throwing us into a bush.

"Hey-!"

"Shh..." he shushed us as he looked out, as did we.

"Hey...it's Dorbickmon..." Gumdramon whispered. Dorbickmon was walking this way; we hid in silence. As he got closer, the ground started to shake slightly with every step he took. He stopped right in front of us, and looked around, as if he felt something was amiss. After a few seconds of inspecting the area he continued onward.

"...think he saw us...?" Gumdramon quietly asked. Shoutmon watched as Dorbickmon's eye flashed.

"Look out!" he grabbed me and jumped upward with Gumdramon as the floor under us collapsed into a sinkhole. He landed in the open where our cover was blown.

"So, you've decided to follow me yet again!" Dorbickmon bellowed, "And you've brought HIM of all people!"

"He didn't bring me here! I'm king and I decided to help him considering your propensity to hurt people!" Shoutmon retorted.

"Is that so?! Then allow us to show you brats what the consequences are! This time I'll get rid of you!" he thundered. In that moment Fanglongmon landed behind us. Shoutmon stepped in front of me while Gumdramon protected us from behind.

"Looks we're done talking..." Shoutmon muttered.

"Yeah..." Gumdramon kept his gaze on Fanglongmon.

"Gumdramon. There's no way we can beat both of them." Shoutmon informed him.

"So, What's the plan?" Gumdramon asked.

"Stall, we buy enough time for Carlos to get out of here..."

"Alright." Gumdramon responded, both of them started emanating a bright yellow light. There was a tense moment of silence, as the two glared down their opponents.

"...let's go!" Shoutmon yelled. Both of them were enshrouded in the bright light.

"What-?!" Dorbickmon's eyes widened with surprise. He and Fanglongmon shielded their eyes from the light.

"Shoutmon, Chou Shinka!"

"Gumdramon, Chou Shinka!"

_They're digivolving..._ I noticed. Gumdramon must have trained with Shoutmon at some point after their adventure in DigiQuartz. It was plausible that he learned to digivolve without Tagiru's Xros Loader. As the light faded, he grew in size, and resembled a purple dragon covered in purple armor mainly, but with thinner black armor underneath. He had green eyes, and his head had violet spikes protruding out of the back of his skull, and also had a yellow stripe running from the side of his head towards two green jewels on his cranium, which also had an X mark on it. His red armor from before grew and now covered his upper chest and abdomen, but was opened a dragons mouth revealing a white part on his stomach. From behind his shoulder blades, two yellow orbs were inserted into his armor, and along with that two small purple wings poked out of the rubber armor behind his shoulder blades. He wore gold gloves with weights on them, as well and yellow legwarmers, black pants with a belt that had a buckle with an X on it as well as weights on the legs. To top it off he wielded a long stretchable tail with a silver blade in the shape of an anchor on it.

"Chou Shinka! Arresterdramon!"

"Chou Shinka! OmegaShoutmon!"

OmegaShoutmon charged at Dorbickmon while Arresterdramon soared at Fanglongmon, and a battle ensued.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon shot out a blast of fire while Fanglongmon attacked with an energy blast. Both Arresterdramon and OmegaShoutmon hit the attacks back at them, exploding right in front of the two creating a cloud of smoke. Dorbickmon prepared himself as OmegaShoutmon came out of the smoke and they both engaged in close combat, exchanging fists without any of them showing remorse. The two assaulted each other with punches and kicks, both of them dodging the opponents attack.

"Beat Slash!" OmegaShoutmon jumped in the air and turned his legs into blades, attacking with a wave of fire that he shot out when he was at point-blank range, hitting Dorbickmon dead on.

"Grah!"

OmegaShoutmon followed up with an uppercut, but Dorbickmon dodged it and countered with a kick of his own, which OmegaShoutmon jumped back to avoid. Arresterdramon charged at Fanglongmon.

"Mach Flicker!" he assaulted Fanglongmon with a barrage of punches at lightning fast speed, however they had barely fazed Fanglongmon, who retaliated with an energy blast. Arresterdramon avoided it and attacked from above.

"Spin Caliper!" he yelled as he attacked with his anchor. Fanglongmon blocked it with his tail. In the midst of the battle, OmegaShoutmon yelled out to me.

"Now! Make a run for it!"

They saw me nod and start running back towards Dragon City.

"You're not going anywhere..." Dorbickmon snarled as he landed a hit on OmegaShoutmon to his face, knocking him away. As I ran, a giant wall of rock rose from the ground and surrounded me.  
"You're not getting out of here alive!" Dorbickmon bellowed. He was about to attack when OmegaShoutmon jumped on his back.

"Grah!" Dorbickmon tried getting him off, slamming OmegaShoutmon into the wall. He grunted in pain, but wouldn't release his grip as he grabbed Dorbickmon's neck and began to choke the dragon. I tried to make a break for it, but Dorbickmon managed to throw OmegaShoutmon off, gasping for air.

"Damned...brat!" Dorbickmon growled, and he shot a fireball. It whirled at me at an incredibly fast pace making it unable avoid it in time.

"Carlos!" Arresterdramon yelled. He landed in front of me and hit the attack away.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah..."

Fanglongmon landed in front of us, "Never take your eyes off the opponent!"

He attacked us with his tail. Arresterdramon pushed me out of the way and took the hit, falling toward the ground.

"Heavy Metal Vulcan!" OmegaShoutmon attacked Dorbickmon by firing two energy beams from the cannons near his chest. Dorbickmon's eye flashed as a wall of stone rose up and blocked the attack. However the blast pierced its way through and hit Dorbickmon.

"Grah!" he was forced back. OmegaShoutmon took the advantage, flew behind him and grabbed Dorbickmon by the waist. Before Dorbickmon could react, OmegaShoutmon jumped high into the air, flipped him over and slammed Dorbickmon's head into the ground.

"Guh!"

OmegaShoutmon released him and jumped back as the rest of Dorbickmon's body fell to the ground. Dorbickmon groaned in pain since the force of the attack had caught him in a daze. OmegaShoutmon ran over to assist Arresterdramon.

"Prism Gallet!" Arresterdramon disappeared into many different waves of light resembling dragons that flew at Fanglongmon.

"Yellow Rotation!" Fanglongmon blocked the attack by creating a typhoon to slow Arresterdramon down to the point he reverted into his physical form.

"Omega the Fusion!" OmegaShoutmon was cloaked in a light energy that resembled a white knight Digimon with a white cape that was red inside and two heads for hands. The blue wolf head with a red nose hid a cannon inside it while the orange dragon head with horns on the sides of it wielded a sword. The aura of the digimon had blue eyes, and three horns on his head, two were yellow and were on the sides of his head, and the other was white and was on his forehead. OmegaShoutmon used the aura attack and broke through the typhoon, slamming into Fanglongmon, who grunted in pain, but managed to land on the ground. The two of them stared each other down.

"Shoutmon..."

Attempting to run, I bumped into Dorbickmon, who glared at me.

"Now I have you..." he snarled as he tried to grab me with his hand. However, the ground started to shake.

"W-what?!" OmegaShoutmon looked over as the entire ground under me and Dorbickmon collapsed.

"Gah!"

"Carlos!" OmegaShoutmon flew over to try and save, but as he reached out his hand, something had blasted him away.

"Gah!"

"Shoutmon!"

Dorbickmon tried using his Burning The Dragon technique to modify the terrain, however another blast of energy hit him before he could execute it.

"Guah!"

A barrage of energy blasts hit the top of the sinkhole we fell into, and the opening started to sink into itself. It's that moment I noticed the attack was coordinated. It wasn't a cowardly move, the attack wasn't reckless. Someone waited for the moment Dorbickmon was a distance away from Fanglongmon. All went dark as we heard the crash of the rocks.

* * *

"Damn it!" Shoutmon broke stone after stone of the rubble. He tried to find an opening, but no avail, the entire crater was filled in.

"Shoutmon..."

"Carlos! You alright?! Answer me!" he yelled into the communicator, but only the _krrrrrtz _of the static responded.

"Damn it! His signal's gone..."  
"Who do you think attacked them?" Gumdramon asked.

"I don't know..." Shoutmon responded, looking down, "But those cowards will pay for it...!"

"Such a tactic wasn't an act of cowardice" Fanglongmon told Shoutmon as he examined the battlefield.

"What do you mean...?" Shoutmon looked over at him.

"An cowardly attack couldn't have been one to have succeeded so swiftly."

"You mean...someone planned this...?" Shoutmon asked as he replayed the events in his mind while Fanglongmon explained it.

"A diversion to buy time, followed by a trap that had coincidentally activated when they had been at that spot. In addition, an attack to keep reinforcements from assisting, as well as one to prevent the target from escaping. Finally, eliminating the evidence of the trap to prevent any questioning and hypothesize it as an act of nature."

"Who would do this..." Shoutmon muttered. Fanglongmon started to head down the mountain trail.

"Gumdramon, come...we're following him. He might know the culprit, and if Carlos is safe."

"Ok..." Gumdramon responded, and they quickly followed after Fanglongmon.

* * *

"Ugh..." I groaned, waking up, "Where am I...?"

The entire place was enshrouded in darkness. It was a cave, and the terrain was stained green; there was barely any light to see since there was many rocks blocking the light. Glancing at my arm, the communicator Shoutmon gave me was broken.

"Damn, it's busted...That was a nasty fall...how the hell am I even alive?"

Looking over, a familiar arm and scaly shoulder was to my right. It was Dorbickmon's. Standing up on his arm, it caused me to lose balance and roll down to the ground, hitting my head.

"Ow..."

Glancing up at him, it wasn't hard to figure out what must have happened when we fell.

"Dorbickmon..."

He didn't answer. There was blood running down his head. When we fell, Dorbickmon must have been hit in the head with the rubble, knocking him out. His weight caused him to fall faster, and it caused me to land on his stomach. He saved me yet again.

"I doubt he wanted to, but that doesn't matter right now."

I climbed up his leg, across his chest and towards his head, avoiding the rubble that fell on him. Taking out a cloth Shoutmon had given me as well as some disinfectant, he didn't wake up, so it was up to me to treat the wound. It took around an hour to get the bleeding to stop, but by that time parts of my clothes and the cloth were stained deeply by the blood.

"There...he should be stable."

Despite the situation we were in, it caused me to smile since the debt to Dorbickmon for saving my life was repaid after all.

"Urrrgh..." he groaned. As he started to wake up I got off of him and passed through an opening the rubble made, allowing me to get out into the light, which was the cave reflecting the color of the emerald colored stones the cave had all around it. As Dorbickmon moved, the rubble fell off of him.

"What...?" he glanced around, wincing, "Where...? Guh!"

He cringed, holding his ankle in pain as he sat down, he must have sprained it when he landed on the ground. I walked over to him.

"Hey..."

"You...!" he glowered, "I've had enough of your constant meddling in my life!"

"Let me bandage your ankle..."

"I don't need your help brat!" he roared. The cannons on his chest started to glow as he charged up his attack, "Your life ends here...!"

"...Your ankle is sprained..." I calmly told him, "If it's not bandaged, it could get worse, and I doubt any paramedics will assist you..."

He glared me down, as the glow of the cannons grew brighter.

"Please...I only want to help..."

My eyes were fixed on his, not once glancing down at the cannons, which were ready to blast me to smithereens. It was a grueling wait, but he eventually discharged his attack.

"...very well..." he reluctantly muttered, "But the minute you try something is the minute you become ashes..."

I nodded slowly, and walked over to him. Taking out the medical gauze Shoutmon gave me, it was wrapped around Dorbickmons entire ankle, as he glared. Although not showing it, the situation caused me to smile since he allowed me to help him again. By the time it was finished, the entire gauze was gone, and Dorbickmon was able to stand up again. His ankle still hurt, but he was at the very least able to walk. He kneeled down and felt the ground with his palm as he closed his eyes.

"...the cave's too unstable..." he muttered, "Using Burning The Dragon will only cause it to collapse..."

He rose to his feet, cringing and started to walk eastward. I followed after him, much to his dislike. As we traveled we came across a huge underground cliff of rocks and unstable terrain to climb over.

"Great..."

Dorbickmon started climbing upward, grunting in pain every time he had to use his injured ankle to move upward. I followed, keeping a safe distance away from Dorbickmon to avoid getting hit with the boulders that fell when Dorbickmon trekked upward. It was more grueling for me to climb due to my miniscule size in comparison to Dorbickmon, who reached the top in the time it took me to reach the halfway point.

"Hey...a little help?" he heard me ask. He glanced back, giving a simple scoff, and continued onward. I eventually reached the top and followed after him. Luckily he had stopped to rest his ankle so it was easy to find him.

"Hey!" he heard me call out to him. Dorbickmon looked away in disgust when he saw me catch up to him.

"Look, I know you don't me, but can we at least work together to get out of here?"

"I don't need the help of humans..." he growled.

"...is it because of Kiriha?"

He snarled viciously when he heard that name being mentioned.

"Blue Flare...!"

He smashed his fist into the wall, causing the whole cave to shake as he rose to his feet and stormed off. I followed quietly. We reached a very steep drop, with no sight of the bottom.

"Damn..."

However on the other side of the drop, we saw the bright light of day.

"That must be the way out! But how do we get over there..." I asked. In that moment, Dorbickmon grabbed my sweater.

"Um...Dorbickmon...?

He didn't respond as he lifted me up. It wasn't hard to figure out what he was going to do, and it wasn't a very good idea.

"Listen...I don't think this is a good-"

He cut me off when the threw me all the way across the gap.

"AAAHHH!"

I landed in a body of water next to the exit deep enough to cover my fall. Getting out of the body of water, Dorbickmon leapt over the drop and landed near the exit.  
"Haha...very funny..."

When we exited the cave, we saw nothing but mountains and rocky terrain, with little signs of trees and other flora.

"We must be deep in the mountains..."

Dorbickmon ignored me and started to walk away. I ran over to him, "Wait!"

In that moment he was hit by a missile shaped like a boxing glove that came at a lightning fast speed

"Guah!"

"What the-?!" I looked over.

"Heh...perfect. Nice work Mamemon." a black wolf smirked in the distance. He was the same one from Fanglongmon's story. Next to him was a small digimon resembling a silver ball with black colored eyes and a pair of red boxing gloves.

"You...!" Dorbickmon mutter angrily.  
"That's right, remember me...?"

"So you've returned to life..."

"Damn right, and now I'm going to get back at you for getting in my way all those years ago..."

ShadowWereGarurumon snapped his fingers, and a dark blur was speeding towards Dorbickmon from behind.

"Look out!"

Dorbickmon turned back, however before he could react, the digimon had injected Dorbickmon with something. Dorbickmon tried hitting it away, but just as fast as it rushed at him, the digimon was gone. It appeared next to ShadowWereGarurumon. It was another wolf Digimon, however his eyes were covered by some sort of spike helmet on his head, and his legs had armor equipped on them with blades protruding out of them as a weapon. He was mostly purple with white fur on his chest and a red pattern on his body and tail.

"What did he..." I looked over to see Dorbickmon start breathing heavily, followed by him starting to lose balance. He collapsed to the floor.

"Perfect...all according to plan Sangloupmon!" ShadowWereGarurumon exclaimed. He and his group of Digimon landed next to Dorbickmon and surrounded him.

"Now its time you pay! We injected you with just enough pollen to keep you powerless, yet still retain consciousness!" the wolf explained.

"Pollen..." I remembered Fanglongmon was paralyzed with it in his story.

"Suffer!"

In that moment he and his group of digimon started brutally assaulting Dorbickmon. They were hitting him in the stomach, stomping on his face and slashing at him with their claws. There was no relent or remorse, and as it progressed I found myself becoming more and more infuriated, causing me to clench my fist tighter and tighter. Hate was one thing, discrimination another, but brutally assaulting a being who is powerless to fight at the moment was unforgivable, and there wasn't anyone to help.

"Stop it..." I muttered as they lifted him up and started to crush his neck, "Stop...it...!"

"Carlos!" Shoutmon called out to me from afar, however my anger at the scene stopped me from looking over.

"Let's end it..." ShadowWereGarurumon growled, and grabbed a blade given to him by a small digimon with a red ninja outfit, red eyes, white belts around his arms and spiked armor on his left shoulder. It was the same one he would've used to kill Fanglongmon back in the past. It was that moment that caused my rage to break.

"PUT HIM DOWN!"

My scream echoed through the mountains as everyone glanced over. In that moment, a pillar of light struck the ground in front of me.

"What-!?" ShadowWereGarurumon exclaimed.

"Carlos...?!" Shoutmon was surprised.

"What...?"

In the center of it, a gray device with a green-lit screen and a white circular button under it appeared.

_Now...its time... _a voiced echoed in my mind.

"Time...?"

_DigiXros...your digimon partner..._

"My...partner...?" I wondered. The voice faded away before it could answer my question, and Fanglongmon jumped in front of me.

"Do as it tells you" he commanded, "Use that Xros Loader to DigiXros us both!"

"Fanglongmon..."

I nodded, and gripped the Xros Loader. The device's color turned dark red, matching Dorbickmon's scales, and the flame Dorbickmon had on the cannons protruding out of his chest was adorned on the circular button the device had.

"Dorbickmon! Fanglongmon! DigiXros!" I raised the Xros Loader in the air. The green-tinted screen gave off a bright light.

Dorbickmon opened his eyes, _This is..._

Both him and Fanglongmon were engulfed in the light, as the two were fused together.

"DigiXros!" they both yelled. When the light faded, Dorbickmon and Fanglongmon had become one, in a centaur form. Dorbickmon's body was fused on top Fanglongmon's back.

"Dorbickmon, Huang Mode!" the dragon yelled.

"He digixrossed!" Shoutmon exclaimed. Dorbickmon was surprised by this event, but it faded away as he leapt into battle.

"Kill them both!" ShadowWereGarurumon cried out. His group of Digimon charged at them. Dorbickmon's eye flashed and they were all trapped in a sinkhole.

"What-?!"

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon roared. He shot two blasts of fire as Fanglongmon fired an energy blast from his mouth. The two attacks combined into one and caused a massive explosion, defeating most of the group. Dorbickmon formed a blade of flames from his mouth, as he and Fanglongmon leapt into the air.

"Tyrant Collbrande!" he roared as he fell into the pit and attacked with the sword, killing the rest of ShadowWereGarurumon's crew in one slash of his blade.

"Grr...I won't forget this!" the wolf roared as he attempted to flee. He was stopped by OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon.

"Now where do you think YOU'RE going?" OmegaShoutmon asked him, before knocking the wolf out. "You're coming back to the castle with us."

When it was all over, Dorbickmon and Fanglongmon split back into their normal forms as we walked up to them.

"You two alright?" I asked them. However Dorbickmon had only glared at me, and it was filled with more hate and anger than before.

"You..." he snarled, and stormed off. Fanglongmon looked at me. His expression was more neutral, and he followed Dorbickmon. I looked down.

"What did I do wrong...?"

OmegaShoutmon walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder, causing me to glance over at him. "Hey.." he muttered, "It's not your fault...you know how Dorbickmon gets..."

He started calming me down when Arresterdramon walked over.

"Come on...let's go back to the castle..." OmegaShoutmon told us.

"...ok..." I muttered. He placed me on his back and took to the skies, heading back to the castle with Arresterdramon following.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Master Chef & The Wolves' Favor**

Arriving back at the castle, I walked back into the guest room, sitting down on the bed and looking down at the floor. Shoutmon walked in a few moments later.

"Hey...are you gonna be alright?" he asked.

"...yeah..."

"We'll find him..." he told me.

"...don't." he heard me mutter, shocking him.

"W-what do you mean _don't_!?" Shoutmon exclaimed.

"I already repaid the favor to him..."

"It's not about that anymore!" he yelled, causing me to look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean...?"

"You two are partners now..." he responded as he sat down next to me, "Whether Dorbickmon likes it or not, you're both a team now. And I'm not going to stop until he accepts that!"

"Shoutmon..."

Here was the king of the Digital World, whose day was filled with many tasks. Of all the things he should be taking care of, he decides to help me with Dorbickmon.

"...thanks"

"Don't mention it, now is there anything else you need?" he asked. I looked down at my clothes, which were stained by Dorbickmon's blood.

"...new clothing. I look like I came out of a horror movie..."

He laughed, "I think we'll be able to help with that..."

Shoutmon walked out of the room, and came back about an hour later, "Here you go!" He handed me a new set of clothes identical to the ones I was already wearing.

"Wow, these are just like the original..." it was surprising how much the resemblance was spot on.

"Yep! Only difference is that they're made with digital fabrics, making them more durable than the ones your wearing." the king explained.

"Thanks Shoutmon."

"No problem."

He left to go take care of his kingly duties. Meanwhile I went to go take a shower, and after that tried on the new clothes. The sweater was slightly bigger than the original, but it still fit. Walking out to go see him in the throne room, Gumdramon was already there waiting with him.

"Well, I've got good news and bad news." he told us, "Good news is ShadowWereGarurumon is no longer a threat. He'll serve life on Prison Isle."

"Prison Isle?" my attention turned to Gumdramon.

"It's our most secure facility out in the middle of pure ocean." Gumdramon explained.

"Oh...and the bad news?"

"...we can't find Dorbickmon. He's no longer in his home in Dragon Land." Shoutmon muttered.

"Oh..."

"We won't give up. We will find him for you." he reassured.

"Thanks Shoutmon." I responded. My stomach started to growl.

"Someone's hungry..." Shoutmon smiled.

"Yeah..."

"Go to the kitchen and ask Toucanmon for something. I'm sure he'll be happy to make you something."

"Alright..."

Gumdramon and I walked over to the kitchen, which was on the first floor. Although he had shown me the kitchen before, it was busy with many Toucanmon, so it was hard to describe it. But now, for a kitchen in a castle as big as Shoutmon's, it should be busy like the city, but there was no one when we walked in except for one Toucanmon, who was making food. The walls and tables were all made of silver metal, with many kitchen utensils lodged to a table on the wall, as well as a huge cold storage room where Toucanmon stored all the food.

"Is that him?"

"Yep, that's Toucanmon." Gumdramon responded as he walked over, "Hi Toucanmon!"

"Hey Gumdramon! Here to see me cook again?" Toucanmon asked.

"Yep! Also I brought a friend over."

"Hi, I'm Carlos, it's nice to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet ya!" he smiled.

"Alright Toucanmon, two of your best Toucan Combos!"

"Coming right up!" he responded eagerly. We saw him grab a pan and get to work. He grabbed some eggs, tomatoes, and many other ingredients. What I noticed though is that he had many other pots on the stove cooking, and yet he was able to make us food all the while keeping the others in check.

"Wow, he's good."

"Yep!" Gumdramon smiled.

"Here ya go!" Toucanmon served us our plates. The pure sight of the food was heavenly. The pure smell made it feel like we had died and gone to heaven, and the pure taste of it made that imagination reality.

"This is amazing!"

Toucanmon smiled as Gumdramon and I ate his food, nearly devouring it and forgetting proper etiquette.

"Ah...that was the best breakfast I've had in my life!"

"Glad you enjoyed it." Toucanmon smiled.

"What are those two huge pots filled with?" Gumdramon pointed to them.

"Oh, one of them has the castle's dinner, and the other one's an order from a client."

"I didn't know you took orders." Gumdramon glanced at him.

"Yeah, lots of Digimon like ordering my food for special events."

"I'm surprised you're not frantically going around cooking. I thought feeding huge digimon would be a laborious task."

"A lot of people think that. But it's easier than it looks."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll show you." he responded and got up. We followed him as he took out a steak from the cold storage, which was bigger than Gumdramon and myself combined and set it down on the table.

"Lift it up." he instructed.

"Huh?!"

"I can't show you if you don't lift it up." he responded. I looked at Gumdramon for a second, then did as he asked.

"Woah...it's lighter than I imagined."

"See? Now come over here and set it on this stove." he directed us to the bigger stove the kitchen had for huge foods like this. We placed it down as he instructed..

"Now watch" he told us. In just a few minutes, the entire back side was cooked thoroughly, as if it was a normal sized steak.

"Woah..."

"Time to flip!" Toucanmon grabbed a huge spatula which was made of a blue metal and gave it to me, which was also light as a feather. Since it was my first time, he helped me flip the steak over.

"Wow...these things sure are light."

"That's because they are made differently from what you'd expect."

"What do you mean?"

"The spatula's made from the lightest metal in the Digital World. The steak on the other hand is made completely of data, making it easier to cook and very light."

"I see..." The more he explained, the more my curiosity rose, "Think you can teach me your cooking techniques?"

"Sure!" he eagerly responded. That morning onward he taught me everything there was to know about making food in the Digital World; where everything was, how special dishes are cooked, cooking over an open flame, the whole enchilada. The whole time passed by without one thought of where Dorbickmon was.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Shoutmon asked about four hours later when he walked in.

"Im fine...here try this." I gave him some of the food that Toucanmon showed us how to make. He opened his mouth and tried some.

"Well?"

"Mm! That was good!" he responded, "Got any more?"

Serving him a whole plate and placing the leftover in a small lunch pack for later, he finished eating the meal at around the same time it took to clean the kitchen.

"Thanks for the food." he smiled.

"No problem, now what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"We got a lead on Dorbickmon. Some digimon told us they remembered a red dragon walking through Vampire Land."

"How do you know it's Dorbickmon?"

"How many dragons have scars on their eyes and cannons on their chest?"

"Right..."

"I'm gonna head over there right now."

"Let me go with you."

"No, I don't want to risk you getting hurt." he told me, and walked out.

"Don't worry..." Gumdramon told me, "Ou-sama will find him..."

"...yeah"

"Let's go to Dragon City, it'll help take your mind off things." Gumdramon told me.

"Alright..." I responded.

We went to Dragon City, arriving as the sun began to set as we sat down on the park bench.

"You ok...?" he asked.

"Yeah...I'm fine."

The park lights lit as the darkness of night appeared. I got up and started walking, with Gumdramon following. We strolled through the west side of town, which was very lonely since it was turning into night. It was the more modern side of town, with every building towering over each other, all made from solid metal of a faint silver color. After a while we came upon a dead end, since the buildings circled around the road. The whole time I could only think of what went wrong yesterday.

_Why was he so angry...?_

"Hey!" Gumdramon yelled, snapping me back to reality.

"What...?"

"You seem off today..." he wondered.

"...I just can't help but wonder what I did wrong..."

Gumdramon looked at me with worry, "Carlos..."

"Damn it!" we heard someone yell. We looked over and saw a black bipedal wolf, with white fur on his face, as well as a gold mane on his chest. Wearing black pants, which were white close to the groin area and down the legs, tightened at the end by a belt on each leg, as well as a sleeveless white shirt, the digimon had yellow eyes and a red scar running across the top of his nose. He had a machine around his waist which was composed of two jet thrusters. They were attached to his body by the black belt he wore around his waist, which was adorned with a buckle that resembled a wolf's head. Along with that, he wore a black and gold-plated belt around his chest and a pair of sunglasses on his forehead. The digimon wore huge mechanical gloves with a screen on the arm, as well as metal boots that were forged like a wolf's feet with red tubes running down the top, as well as an iron plate on the top of the foot. The toes where red and black. He paced the floor, and looked frustrated.

"This is all your fault!" we heard him yell at someone.

"My fault?! You should have planned ahead!" a deeper, gruff voice exclaimed.

"Wonder what that's about..." Gumdramon muttered. We walked over to see him arguing with another wolf that looked familiar.

"T-that's ShadowWereGarurumon!" I exclaimed, "But I thought-!"

"Calm down." Gumdramon told me, "He is a normal WereGarurumon, look."

Looked over at the wolf. Gumdramon was right. He wasn't ShadowWereGarurumon, but he looked exactly alike. The differences were that his fur was white and blue, and his pants were a darker shade of blue. His claws were purple and his scars were dark blue.

"Huh...you're right." we walked over to the two, who were on the brink of getting into a brawl.

"Grr...!" they growled at each other.

"Hey...what seems to be the problem?" I asked them. They turned to look at us, but it didn't stop them from telling us their problem.

"BlackMachGaogamon over here had booked some Digimon to help us tonight, but it turns out they had to cancel last minute!"

"How was I suppose to know they were gonna be busy today?!" BlackMachGaogamon exclaimed.

"You don't think is the problem!" WereGarurumon barked.

"Guys, guys calm down...now what exactly were they suppose to do today?"

"They were suppose to make tonight's food and serve Digimon drinks." BlackMachGaogamon told us. By the look on Gumdramon's face, he hatched an idea.

"He can help!" Gumdramon told them as he pointed at me.

"...you can cook?" they asked.

"Somewhat." I responded, giving them the small leftovers of the food Toucanmon helped us make before giving Shoutmon the rest of the food, "Here, try some."

They grabbed the box, opened it and each ate a piece.

"Well?"

"...this isn't half bad." BlackMachGaogamon muttered.

"And...?"

"...alright, you're hired" they told me.

"Awesome."

They led Gumdramon and I inside a huge building that was adorned with many flashing lights, as well as two heads resembling WereGarurumon and BlackMachGaogamon. Both of us were amazed by what we saw. It was a huge casino with bright lights all around. There were slot machines of all sizes, along with roulette tables and poker tables scattered around the floor. There were so many Digimon inside playing the games, the sight was astounding.

"Woah..."

They led us to the far left of the floor, where there were tables of digimon waiting for food. It was designed to look much like a restaurant. Right next to that was a bar, which had shelves filled with all kinds of bottles, each one was a different drink. We went into the kitchen, which had a design similar to the one in Shoutmon's Castle, and they promptly instructed us of our task.

"Alright kid. We're not asking for anything specific for you to make, but whatever you do make, you'll need enough for three hundred Digimon." BlackMachGaogamon told us.

"Woah..."

"Make it good...you got three hours." WereGarurumon advised, and they walked off.

"Ok Gumdramon, how many people does Toucanmon serve a day?" I asked the digimon. He started doing the math.

"Hmm...let's see...counting all the members of Xros Heart...Blue Flare...I'd say about a hundred."

"Alright, we might have a chance, but I'll need your help."

"Alright."

"We've got three hours...let's make the best of it."

"Right!" Gumdramon responded eagerly. We both washed our hands and began to work.

"Alright, he told us we could make any dish we want."

"Yep."

"Do you know the recipe Toucanmon used for that Toucan Combo?"

"Of course!" Gumdramon smiled.

"Then we'll make the biggest Toucan Combo this place has ever seen!"

"Right!"

We ran over to the fridge, grabbed all the ingredients by the hundreds, washed them in the sink, and got to work.

"Gumdramon, digivolve and wash your tail anchor, we're gonna need it if we want to do this fast."

He nodded, and did as I told him to. After digivolving, he went over to the sink and cleaned his anchor blade.

"Alright, now cut up all the vegetables."

"Right, Frog Shot!"

He sliced the vegetables to pieces and served them into the giant pan along with the eggs. He and I started mixing the ingredients in the pan. In the time it took for the eggs to fry, we took out three hundred plates for the Digimon and set them down on the table.

"Alright, we got the eggs, tomatoes, onion, peppers...what are we missing?"

"The Honey." Arresterdramon responded.

"Honey...?"

"Yep, that's what makes it so good."

"...well alright then." I ran over to the fridge and grabbed the container of honey. Setting it down on the table, we grilled the dish for a few minutes before turning the stove down.

"Alright, that's done, now what?"

"Now we make the steak!" Arresterdramon responded as he ran over, grabbed the biggest steak from cold storage and washed it thoroughly before setting it down on the stove to cook.  
"Alright, what does he use to give it flavor?"

"DigiNoir!" he exclaimed, causing me to look at him in confusion.

"...DigiNoir?"

"If DigiNoir is heated up, it melts into a nice sauce." Arresterdramon explained. He really did know the recipe, by heart even.

"Alright..."

He grabbed some containers of DigiNoir, dumped the contents into a pan, and boiled them to the point that they melted quickly. He and I then flipped over the steak as we glanced at the time.

"We've got thirty minutes!"

We started serving the food into each individual plate. Arresterdramon threw the steak in the air.

"Frog Shot!" he bisected it into pieces and served them into the plates.

"We're cutting it close!" I told him, as we added the hint of honey and melted DigiNoir onto the steak and dish, barely finishing when WereGarurumon and BlackMachGaogamon walked in.

"Time's up!" they told us.

_Damn...we forgot the drinks..._

With the help of Arresterdramon, they grabbed plate after plate and went out to serve the guests. I cleaned up the mess we made in the kitchen when we were making the food. A few minutes later WereGarurumon walked in.

"Alright kid, come with me." he instructed. We went out the door and he led me to the bar.

_Um...he DOES know I'm under aged...right...?_

"You got to serve drinks if any Digimon wants one..." he explained.

"Alright..."

"If they ask for a special, then that means you add some fruit juice to their drinks." the wolf added.

"Seems easy..."

The minute he walked away, I pulled out my Xros Loader and started to frantically press the circular button, "Come on...you've got to have some translator..."

After a bit of random fidgeting with the button, the screen lit up and it emitted a hologram. Grabbing one of the bottles and placing it near the Xros Loader, the hologram scanned it and the word, "Vodka" appeared on the screen.

"Phew...too close..." I muttered. At the same time, a digimon walked up.

"Some wine please..." he asked.

"Yeah, coming right up...um..."

"VictoryGreymon." he replied.

"I'll have it in a second." I told him and looked for the bottle, which would naturally be the big elegant looking one, and served some into a glass, giving it to him.

"Thanks..." he told me.

"Yeah..."

VictoryGreymon was a bipedal humanoid dragon. His chest and back was clad in armor, which was silver from the front of chest as well as his entire helmet, which had a horn on the top of his snout and covered his entire face, meanwhile the shoulder, back and other areas were gold. His arms had belts worn on them, and on his forearms there was also armor. On his back, he wore two spiked plates that resembled wings, made of gold and red metal. Most of his armor was connected through some red tubes adorned on the armor, and the shoulder armor had a spike on it, as well as a green jewel on the top of his breastplate. VictoryGreymon wore a silver and black groin guard, made of armor, but had an opening for his tail. Along with that, he wore shin guards that were red on the front, and silver in the back. He boasted a V-shaped crest on his forehead like Shoutmon, only it was golden,. His eyes were emerald green, and he had brown hair. Next to him was a giant sword whose blade was black, and was composed of three blades. The handle was golden with a red stripe on each side, and its size was almost as big as VictoryGreymon himself.

"You're new here..." he noticed.

"...how do you know...?"

"You're using a Xros Loader as a translator. Also, they've never hired a human before..." he responded.

"Oh..."

"Well...take it easy kid..." he took his glass, grabbed his blade and left.

"...I wish I could..."

With all that's happened this past week, coming into the Digital World, meeting Dorbickmon, Shoutmon, Gumdramon, Fanglongmon, getting my Xros Loader and nearly dying three times. It's hard to relax. But the thought was quickly brushed aside as another digimon came up.

"An Apple Vodka special." he politely ordered..

"Coming right up."

I grabbed the bottle, served him a glass, then grabbed some of the apple juice they had in the fridge and mixed the two drinks together. He was also humanoid, and most of his face was covered with a red mask that had two horns protruding out from the sides. He had blue eyes, long spiky golden hair and red markings on his face. This digimon had a mix red, gold, white and black armor. It was mostly solid red, then outlined in gold, and black armor underneath to protect his vitals. His feet were that of a metal dragon's, as was his tail, which was a cross between a dragon and a lizard. he had big orange bird wings wings, and on his forearms were these yellow blades shaped like diamonds.

"Here you go...Mr..."

"Aldamon." he responded as he grabbed his drink and walked off. At the same time, Arresterdramon walked up.

"Well...? Whats the verdict?" I asked.

"...they loved it." he responded. Both of us sighed in relief.

"Good..."

A few minutes later, BlackMachGaogamon and WereGarurumon walked up to us.

"Good job kid. Not bad for a human." BlackMachGaogamon told us.

"Thanks..."

"You two are welcome here anytime. If you need anything, feel free to ask." WereGarurumon added.

"Thanks..."

Both of us gave our goodbyes before leaving the casino. Climbing onto Arresterdramon's shoulder, we headed back to Shoutmon's Castle.

"Well that was fun pastime." Arresterdramon commented.

"Yeah..."

"Think Shoutmon found Dorbickmon?" he asked me. The Xros Loaders screen started to glow.

"Hm?" I grabbed it and clicked the button.

"What is it...?" he looked back.

"A message..."

"Whats it say...?" he asked.

_No good...Dorbickmons no longer in Vampire Land..._

"Oh..."

"Yeah..."

"Don't worry, he'll find him..." Arresterdramon reassured, as we headed out of Dragon Land.

However, we were completely unaware that on top of one of the buildings, someone had been watching.

"Dorbickmon the Fire-Fury...? How intriguing..." a voice muttered.

The digimon was a black knight, with golden and silver armor; on his breastplate, which was shaped to look like a silver skull with blood red eyes, he boasted a huge golden W crest. He held a huge double sided spear, which was composed of two red drills in his right hand and the head of a black ax on his left shoulder, as well as the head of a chess pawn on his right shoulder. His silver helmet, which was gold from the forehead up, had two golden horns protruding out from the sides. It covered his face, only showing his evil yellow eyes. His metal boots had yellow spikes on the kneecap, and had two beige belts around the shins, with the toe being forged like a blade. He wore a black cape which was blue on the inside.

"A name of a Death General that should be feared...and yet...this boy human says it like he cares about the dragon..."

He stayed in thought, and started to laugh sinisterly.

"I believe I might have just found my vessel for one of my experiments..." he sinisterly chuckled as he walked away.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Searching The Kingdoms, the Blazing Sun Apollomon.**

Arresterdramon landed in the courtyard, and degenerated back into Gumdramon. When we walked into the castle, Shoutmon had been waiting for us.

"Where have you guys been?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"We were helping out in Dragon City."

"Oh, well in that case, go get some sleep and see me tomorrow morning. I have some news to tell you guys." he told us.

"Alright." I responded, and we both headed toward our rooms. The next day we went to see Shoutmon in the throne room.

"You wanted to see us?" Gumdramon asked.

"Yes." he responded, "Although our first lead got us nowhere, I was told about an hour ago that Dorbickmon was spotted somewhere in Honey Land."

"Honey Land? It sounds like every kids' dream..."

"It's a land of forest and flower fields." he explained.

"Alright, then let's go." Gumdramon and I started heading out, but Shoutmon stopped us.

"If you're coming with us, then you are never to leave our side." he advised.

"Sounds fair."

Shoutmon nodded and walked out, with us following. They digivolved outside the castle gates and Arresterdramon put me on his shoulder.

"Hold on tight!" he told me as he and OmegaShoutmon jumped into the air and headed off towards Honey Land, which was situated east of Dragon Land, right after Vampire Land. After a few hours of flying, we arrived in the area. Shoutmon was right. This whole land was mostly composed of a forest with meadows of flowers. But there was also parts that were more of a marshland. There was mostly green vegetation, but there were a few bushes of a violet color scattered here and there. there was also a river that crossed through Honey Land, separating it into two sectors.

"Wow...hey, what's that?" I pointed to the tree that looked like a beehive.

"That's one of the many DigiHoney trees" OmegaShoutmon told me, "After the war, we had made DigiHoney out of actual flowers, so now there are no side effects. This tree in particular has DigiHoney that is edible. See that huge tree in the center of Honey Land?"

"Yeah..."

"That DigiHoney is for medicinal use, and is a darker hue than this DigiHoney" he explained.

"I see..."

We strolled along the forest until we came across a huge shell of a digimon.

"Woah..."

"Come on..." he told me and walked inside, us following.

"Hey! Ignitemon!"

"Huh?" a digimon looked over to us, and ran over.

"Shoutmon!"

The digimon looked like a kid, but his head resembled the head of a white reptile with spikes on the top, yellow eyes, red teeth and an X scar near its left eye. He had teal colored hair, and slightly dark skin. He wore a black sleeveless shirt, as well as a grenade around his neck. His white pants where held together by two black belts which had small pockets on them, and he wore black boots which were designed to look like the feet of a reptile near the tips. He wore white gloves with a square of steel on them, and a white band shaped like an arrow on his back.

"Its been a while." OmegaShoutmon told him, "Where's Mervamon?"

"She's out doing some scouting." Ignitemon responded.

"Heh...just like her..." the king smiled. Ignitemon then looked at me.

"Hm? Who's he?" he asked, since he didn't recognize me.

"This is Carlos." Arresterdramon told him.

"Nice to meet you." he told me.

"Likewise."

"Ignitemon, we need your help." OmegaShoutmon told him, "We're looking for Dorbickmon, a crimson dragon digimon with scars on his eyes and cannons on his chest. Have you seen him anywhere?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah. He was heading towards Cyber Land."

"Alright, thanks." OmegaShoutmon responded , as we started leaving, "Tell Mervamon I said hi!"

"Ok!"

When we walked out, OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon took to the skies again, and headed towards Cyber Land, which was south of Honey Land. While we traveled, I couldn't help but wonder how this would play out.

"Something wrong, Carlos?" OmegaShoutmon asked me.

"...what exactly is your plan when we find Dorbickmon?"

"We strike a deal with him."

"What kind of deal?"

"One that keeps you safe when you're around him."

"And he'd agree to that?"

"He'll have to, whether he likes it or not."

"Alright..."

I didn't know what OmegaShoutmon is planning, but if he'll agree to it, then we would just have to wait and see if he would. We arrived in Cyber Land, which as the name states, was a futuristic city. It had a harbor in the back, which lead out into the ocean. With skyscrapers that were made of steel, and near transparent, cerulean colored shuttle tubes heading in different directions, there were many digimon walking around, going about their own business.

"Woah..."

"Come on, let's see if anyone has seen him."

"Ok..."

We searched around, asking anyone if they have seen Dorbickmon. However, we never mentioned his name when asking so no problems would start. We met up at the harbor, which had many storage buildings, all shaped like garages that were in two rows horizontally.

"Find anything Arresterdramon?"

"No..." He responded. We waited there, and OmegaShoutmon returned ten minutes later.

"Well?"

"He's no longer here, but I got word he's heading towards Bright Land." the king told us.

"Bright Land?"

"It's the kingdom watched over by Apollomon." Arresterdramon explained.

"Ok, then lets go." I jumped onto Arresterdramon's shoulder and we headed over there. We traveled in the west direction from Cyber Land.

As we passed through the ocean, it started changing from its normal blue to a glistening gold, and there were no buildings in sights, just a few islands here and there.

"This is Gold Land." OmegaShoutmon, "It's mostly a huge ocean, but there are a few islands scattered around here."

"I see..."

After an hour of flying we saw an island in the distance. It was shaped like a dolphin.

"We'll take a break there." OmegaShoutmon told us.

"Alright..."

We arrived at a small harbor the island had. It had many small buildings, many of which were very primitive, and tons of flora scattered around the town. We went and sat down while OmegaShoutmon bought us some DigiNoir. Despite telling them there was nothing wrong, I didn't feel alright. My mind was still thinking about what happened a few days ago.

"You know, it's not good to keep your mind back there" OmegaShoutmon noticed as he gave us our DigiNoir..

"...how'd you know..?"

"You've been acting like this the past few days. By now its obvious it's bothering you." he told me. I stayed in silence and looked down at my container of DigiNoir.

"Take your mind off of it. You can't blame yourself for something you didn't do. It's not your fault Dorbickmon got angry and stormed off. That's simply Dorbickmon's personality."

As right as he was, it still felt like it was my fault. They found Dorbickmon because someone had followed me when we were looking for him. However, Shoutmon was partially right. There was no use in sulking over it now, especially since we have a lead.  
"...alright..."

"Good."

We ate our DigiNoir and then I got on Arresterdramon's shoulder and we resumed our voyage to Bright Land. We reached the end of the golden ocean, passing over a mountain range, and were now overlooking a huge canyon. The climate was very hot, since there was no water or flora for miles, or towns. We started heading in the northwestern direction.

"Where is everything...?" the king heard me ask.

"Underground." OmegaShoutmon replied, "All of Canyon Lands cities are underground in the caves."

"Oh..."

We flew across the barren canyon and eventually everything started becoming green, as we entered a grass meadow.

"Well, here we are, this is Bright Land. Of all the Seven Kingdoms this is the one that has changed the most."

Looking out at the horizon of the place, I remember Shoutmon telling me that this place was completely barren except for a huge tower that went up to the heavens. However, now it was more alive. It was a mix of all the other six kingdoms. It had mountains, a forest, a canyon, an enormous lake, meadows of flowers and grass, all surrounding a huge tree in the center.

"Amazing...how did a tree that big grow in two years...?"

"The seed was bigger, and we treated it with a special medicine that stimulated its growing speed rapidly."

"I see..."

"Come on, maybe Apollomon has seen Dorbickmon." OmegaShoutmon told us.

"Ok..."

OmegaShoutmon flew around the huge tree, with Arresterdramon following. Examining the tree closely, the tree had small huts made of stone and leaves, revealing that there was a small village on the branches of the huge tree.

"Incredible..."

After reaching the other side of the tree I saw a huge castle in view. It was made of silver bricks and the roofs were colored gold and orange. It was situated on top of a cliff that had a view of the enormous lake behind it, and there was a town in front of it. The castle was even bigger than Shoutmon's Castle.

"Wow..."

"That's Apollomon's Castle. He of all people should know if he's seen Dorbickmon."

"Alright..."

We arrived at the front gate, guarded by two Knightmon.

"Hey guys, is Apollomon here?" OmegaShoutmon asked. They nodded and opened the door, letting us inside. The courtyard was situated in front of the castle, and as beautiful as Shoutmon's, but it resembled a sun instead.

"Wow."

They led us into the foyer which also resembled the one from Shoutmon's Castle, however it was orange and had many more columns holding it up, as well as a huge chandelier made of yellow jewels that lit up the whole floor.

"Alright, you two wait here." OmegaShoutmon told us and walked up the stairs. We stood there in wait. It took a long time and we started to get bored after three hours..

"Man...whats taking him so long?" I asked Arresterdramon, who let out a deep yawn.

"I don't know..." he started closing his eyes.

"If you're tired, then you can go to sleep, I'm not going anywhere."

"You sure..?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Ok...don't sneak off" he told me as he sat down against a column and fell asleep. I waited until he was deep in sleep, then got up and started roaming the hallways to kill time.

_Dorbickmon..._

Walking over to the window and looking outside. The huge tree could be seen from from here. Taking out my Xros Loader and looking at it, it's dark red shade shined brilliantly in the sun, the green-lit screen letting off a reflection of light. I looked down at the emblem of flame it had on the button.

_Why was I chosen...?_

Standing there for a few minutes, it was about time to go back to the foyer so Arresterdramon wouldn't notice. Halfway through the hallway, I stepped out into the balcony and put my back against the border, which was made of stone.

"...it's amazing how much this place changed..."

However, to my surprise, the border broke off.

"Woah!" it caught me off guard, falling back and descended rapidly to the ground below. Closing my eyes and preparing for the worst, someone swiftly ran up and grabbed me in mid-air.

"W...who?"

I opened my eyes to see an orange lion digimon with a long yellow mane, stretching down to his feet, and side burns that went down to his neck. He had red armor on his chest, as well as some sort of sphere shaped armor on his shoulders that were red with the center being yellow and a part of the bottom being white. The digimon wore a black gauntlet forged like a glove on his fingers, which had a red and yellow screen on it, as well as spikes near the edges, and wore black armor on his abdomen. His groin guard was black, with a yellow sphere near the middle, and the armor on his legs were the same design. The digimon had a flame shaped spike protruding out of his kneecaps, had light blue eyes and a visor protecting his forehead. He wore two red and yellow ear buds that had two spikes protruding out of it. His claws were yellow, and he wore a roman shoe made of black metal, with a spike on the back of it.. To top it off, there was a plate of black armor shaped like the rays of the sun on his back, and had an orb floating above his head in the center of the armor.

"Are you alright..?" he asked me.

"Y-yeah..."

He landed on the ground and placed me on the floor.

"T-thank you...um..."

"...Apollomon." he smiled. His named nearly surprised me.

"Carlos! You alright?!" Shoutmon and Gumdramon ran over.

"Yeah...I'm fine thanks to Apollomon."

"I'll need to have someone fix that balcony." he glanced up at the broken border.

"Apollomon, we need your help. Do you by any chance know if Dorbickmon's around here?" Shoutmon asked.

"Not entirely, but I've heard some Digimon talking about a dragon matching his description."

"Alright, we'll stay here for the night, then resume the searching tomorrow." Shoutmon told us.

"Alright..."

We were escorted into the guest rooms as the sun set. That night was restless, since the thought of Dorbickmon kept circling my mind. I stood up and walked out to the courtyard. The cold wind gave me chills. Sitting down near the water fountain, hours were spent contemplating while the wind became colder and colder. My own breath was now seen when exhaling. After a while though, a warm light started getting closer, and the source was a flame coming out of the jewel on the back of Apollomon's gauntlet.

"Apollomon..."

"...it's cold out here...come back inside..." he advised. The tone of his voice was calm and peaceful.

"Alright..."

Following Apollomon, we went back inside the castle. He led me to his room, which was a lot bigger, was decorated with a huge bed, red curtains, an orange carpet and a balcony to look out at the lake.

"Come...sit down..." he told me. I nodded and sat next to him.

"Whats wrong?" he asked. Despite telling Shoutmon there was nothing wrong, there was a feeling that Apollomon was the closest one to understand my predicament as of right now.

"...I can't help but feel it was my fault..."

"What do you mean?" he asked. For the next hour, I explained to him of how Dorbickmon saved my life, as well as how Shoutmon decided to help me search for him and how my Xros Loader was given to me.

"I see..." Apollomon nodded in understanding.

"...yeah..."

"...may I take a look at your Xros Loader?" he asked, and it was handed to him. He examined it, and the flame emblem caught his eye.

"...I see." he handed it back.

"...you were a Death General, correct?" I asked him.

"Yes."

"...were they all evil?"

"Hm?" he glanced at me.

"...were Dorbickmon and the others truly evil? What was their reason for joining the Bagra Army?"

"...I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that..." he looked down.

"Oh..."

"...however, there was something I noticed about them..." he muttered.

"...what was it?" I asked him.

"...they all obeyed without question. Despite it being for an evil cause, they never spoke back, and were loyal until they found out they were being used. Even if it was for the Bagra Army, there loyalty was to be respected." Apollomon explained.

"I see..."

"However, I saw it in their eyes. They did have a reason for joining, though they never told each other what it was."

"...did you ever get into a disagreement with Dorbickmon?"

"...yes, one day while his army was busy battling with Blue Flare, both of us had a talk about strength. We both had different views of what we saw as true strength. He stated that weak had no right to live, since they were of no use and were only born to just get in the way. However, I told him that they could become stronger, and shouldn't be taken lightly. He scoffed and told me words like that were what fill the so-called weaklings with false hope. It got a bit worse from there until he finally stormed off after telling me I lacked the power and cruelness to be a Death General."

"I see..."

"...and yet Dorbickmon saved your life twice over." Apollomon smiled slightly.

"...indirectly." I muttered.

"...I think he did save your life, but denies the fact that he did." Apollomon told me.

"It's obvious he doesn't want me to be his partner...and yet Shoutmon is helping me find him."

"Dorbickmon is a digimon who is quick tempered. However in that fury, I saw a great deal of pride. It's just deeply surrounded by his anger and hatred for the weak." he explained. I looked up at him.

"Don't give up. The day will come that he finally accepts you as his partner. You just have to keep trying..."

"...thanks, Apollomon." I told him. With that, he escorted me to the other guest room and we rested for the night.

In Dragon Land however, the dark knight had been making his move, as he was fighting another digimon.

"Grah!" the digimon roared in pain as it fell back, unconscious.

"Perfect..." the dark knight responded. He took out a dark Xros Loader and it let out a dark aura as the digimon was sucked into it. The dark knight then pressed a button and a hologram appeared of different types of dragon digimon.

"DarkTyrannomon...Brachiomon...Megadramon...Gigadr amon...Flarerizamon...Salamandermon.. .and finally Devidramon...all digimon that make up the Fire-Fury army. They are in my possession..."

He laughed sinisterly as he walked away, "Now only one remains...and with this poison, he'll go down like the rest...prepare yourself...Fanglongmon!"


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Canyon Land: A Plan Fueled By Revenge**

The next morning, Shoutmon and Apollomon were having a conversation outside. I walked up to them as they turned to look at me.

"Morning." Shoutmon greeted.

"Morning...so, any news on Dorbickmons whereabouts?"

"Actually yes, we were just talking about that." Shoutmon responded as he turned to Apollomon.

"I had just received word that Dorbickmon had arrived in Canyon Land just this morning. Though it may be a simple guess, I think he's going to go see Gravimon."

"I see..."

Shoutmon had told me that Gravimon was the Death General of Canyon Land before Xros Heart defeated him.

"Well, let's get going." Shoutmon told me, and walked off.

"Thank you , Apollomon."

"Proceed with caution, this road you're taking is not an easy one. There's no telling what Dorbickmon could try." Apollomon advised.

"I know..."

"You're welcome here anytime." he added.

"Thank you..." I responded and followed after Shoutmon, who was waiting outside with Gumdramon, already in their digivolved forms.

"Ready?" OmegaShoutmon asked me.

"Yeah..."

Arresterdramon put me on his shoulder and we took flight towards Canyon Land. We flew around the huge tree in the center of Bright Land again and headed off to the canyons south from our location.

_Dorbickmon..._ the memory of when Shoutmon saved me from him resurfaced as we traveled.

_And I especially don't need help, from a DAMNED human brat, like you..._

_Dorbickmon, whether you give me a chance or not, I'll prove that I'm worthy of this Xros Loader..._

"Alright, we're almost there..." OmegaShoutmon told us.

"Right..."

We landed on the ground, and OmegaShoutmon led us down a rocky trail to the entrance of a cave near the river that ran through the bottom of the canyon. We walked in and darkness engulfed the cave the more we traveled into it. We could only see as far as the fireball OmegaShoutmon had conjured up from his hand could reach. Eventually we saw the exit and were now in an underground city. The buildings were more primitive and made out of dirt and concrete, dug out from the cave walls and were adorned with small fragments of diamonds.

"Woah..."

"Welcome to Rhine Stone City." OmegaShoutmon told me.

"It's beautiful..."

"Come on, let's ask around and see if Dorbickmon is still around here."

"Right."

We walked around, asking many digimon the age-old question. Most of them responded the same way. A lot of the digimon did not remember seeing him.

"Hmm..." I looked around to try and see if Dorbickmon's anywhere in the town, but my eyes became fixed when a cave wall was covered by a rising boulder near the back of the town.

"What the...?"

Walking over to check it out, there were no guards around, so no one must know about this secret passage. The wall was as hard as diamond.

"A secret entrance...?" the discovery sparked intrigue and the inspection of the wall for a secret button to make the door open began.

"Hmm..."

"Hey!" a familiar voice called out. Turning around, the sight of Shoutmon and Gumdramon walking up to me was a relief.

"Oh good, it's just you two..."

"What are you doing?" Gumdramon asked.

"There's a path behind this rock, but I can't budge it."

"Hmm..." Shoutmon walked over and investigated the rock. We observed him as he tried to find a way to move the boulder.

"...I think..." he reached over to a rock on the wall which was shaped like an egg, grabbed it and twisted it sideways. The wall moved out of the way, revealing the entrance.

"Let's go." Shoutmon told us.

"Right." we replied and walked in. The door closed behind us and we were completely enshrouded in the dark until Shoutmon used his Rock Soul technique to light a stick on fire.

"There we go."

We traveled through the dark, keeping pace with Shoutmon. We could barely see anything around us, since the cave was completely cut off from any sources of light.

"How long is this cave...?" I asked Shoutmon, who thought of an idea.

"Give me your Xros Loader."

"Ok."

Handing the device to him, he pressed a button and a holographic map of the cave appeared..

"Huh..."

"We're close to the exit..." he told us.

After a bit more of walking we saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

"There it is..." Shoutmon stopped.

"Hey...do you guys here that?" Gumdramon told us. We listened closely and heard two very faint voices talking.

"Come on..." Shoutmon slowly walked forward, with us following, and hit behind a rock just before the exit. We listened in on the conversation.

"What do you mean it won't work?!" a voice snarled.

"That's Dorbickmon...I could recognize that threatening voice anywhere."

"You're plan is far too reckless..." another more calm voice responded.

"Who's that...?" I asked Shoutmon, who instantly recognized it.

"...Gravimon." he responded. We listened in some more.

"Dorbickmon, you're plan of an all out frontal attack is completely rash and foolish. Did you forget we are not dealing with just any digimon...?"

"Don't tell me what I already know!" Dorbickmon barked at him.

"Who are they talking about...?" Shoutmon muttered.

"Then if you know, then why do you insist this carelessness will work?!"

"Because it will! It will demolish him before he gets a chance to retaliate!" Dorbickmon snapped.

"...DarkKnightmon's not that idiotic." Gravimon responded.

"D-DarkKnightmon?!" Shoutmon's eyes widened with shock.

"If we attacked head on, he can easily get behind us and make his move, or worse, he could corner us and we'd be at his mercy. You have a brain Dorbickmon. Use it instead of thinking with your anger."

"Grr..!" Dorbickmon was getting furious.

"You act like you're in charge, but you're not. Don't forget, Olegmon was the one who suggested to put aside our differences and fight DarkKnightmon together for a better chance, and you were the last one to agree. This isn't some one man show you're running. We only have one chance to do this right, and we won't blow it on such an imprudent plan. You've become so obsessed with revenge that it's clouded your ability to plan carefully."

"You've all grown soft...!" he snarled.

"We haven't grown soft, we've stopped thinking with that kind of rashness and have started using common sense in our plans. That is something you know nothing about apparently..."

"Hmph!"

We then saw Dorbickmon storm off while Gravimon looked back at him. I managed to get a good look at him; his arms and legs were composed of mummy bandages. He wore a silver breastplate which was held together through some black tubes that looped around his upper body. There were eight red tube projectiles attached to the armor with a yellow piece of armor on the tip. There were yellow orbs adorned onto the breast plate, as well as one on his abdomen which had the same X mark. The armor on his neck had holes and resembled the top of a lighter. His hair was long, black and wavy; his ears were pointy and his eyes were hidden in a mask with an X mark on it. On his right leg were what looked like an abundance of belts on it, as well as some on his waist. He walked away, and we took that time to head back to Rhine Stone City. I looked around to see Dorbickmon heading towards the east side of town. We followed after him, and saw the drake go into a dark cave outside the city. We hid behind any rock we could as we overheard him.

"Grr...! Those imbeciles!" he snarled and punched the wall in anger. The force caused the whole place to shake, but we kept quiet and listened in

"They've become weak! Using common sense, how ridiculous! They're cowards! A quick strike is the only chance to take care of DarkKnightmon before he can react. It's faultless!"

"Dorbickmon..."

"If they won't take care of that dark bastard, then I'll personally do it myself! I'll show that knight that no one exploits me and gets away with it!"

"...come on Shoutmon." I muttered, and the three of us quietly snuck back to the city and let Dorbickmon release his anger.

"...let's go back to Dragon Land."

Shoutmon looked over in confusion, "Huh? Why? We found Dorbickmon..."

"I know, but he's angry right now. It's too risky to try and reason with him. My guess is after this he'll head back to Dragon Land, so we'll wait there for him."

"...ok then." Shoutmon replied, "We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"Ok." I responded. With that, we walked over to the inn near the main square of the city where the fountain was, and booked a room for the night.

* * *

That night in Dragon Land however, something was amiss. Fanglongmon had been going for a nightly stroll through the mountains. The wind was calm and there was some clouds overhead blocking the light of the moon when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Fanglongmon..." it muttered. The dragon stopped in his tracks and started looking around.

"The so-called yellow dragon..." it added.

"You...!" Fanglongmon quickly turned around and fired an energy blast from his mouth at the source of the voice. However, nothing was there.

"Quick to the attack I see..." the voice told him. Fanglongmon turned again, snarling at the voice. The cloud overhead moved from the night sky as the moon illuminated the sky, revealing the voice's identity.

"DarkKnightmon..." Fanglongmon growled.

"It's time you come with me..." he calmly told him.

"I'd rather rot in Hell's Field..." Fanglongmon snarled.

"You'll go there soon enough...however I have plans...and you are a key player in one..."

"I'd never join you..."

"But you will...whether you want to or not."

They stared each other down as the battlefield was illuminated by the night sky. The silence was broken when DarkKnightmon let out a single sound.

"...hmph."

"Fang of the Emperor!" Fanglongmon lunged at DarkKnightmon, who avoided the dragon's attack.

"Twin Spear!" his spear spun around at a high speed as he soared at Fanglongmon, who jumped away before impact. The sheer force of the attack cut deep into the earth, causing an earthquake. Out of the smoke, DarkKnightmon charged at Fanglongmon with his spear ready. Fanglongmon attacked with a mighty swish of his tail. DarkKnightmon ducked to avoid the attack and slammed into Fanglongmon, who grunted in pain but held off the attack unscathed. Fanglongmon shot out an energy blast at point-blank range. DarkKnightmon jumped out of the smoke, however Fanglongmon got behind him and hit him with his tail. DarkKnightmon hit the ground and Fanglongmon pinned him down with all fours.

_Perfect... _DarkKnightmon thought as Fanglongmon snarled at him.

"Any last words, you dark abomination...?" Fanglongmon growled.

"...hmph...such a mighty dragon, yet so NAIVE!" DarkKnightmon injected the poison into Fanglongmon's leg.

"Grah!" he jumped away and took the needle out with his teeth.

"What...did you..."

"A simple, but effective poison. You'll succumb to its effects in five minutes..." DarkKnightmon told him.

"Not before I bring you down...!" Fanglongmon growled. He could feel his leg slowly going numb, but he didn't show his opponent any sign of it affecting him.

"Fang of the Emperor!" he charged at the dark knight and attempted to bite him with his fangs. DarkKnightmon avoided it and hit Fanglongmon with his spear. Fanglongmon grunted in pain, but held his ground and attempted another Fang of the Emperor. DarkKnightmon dodged again, but was hit by Fanglongmon's tail. He hit the floor, but rebounded and threw his spear at Fanglongmon, who jumped out of the way. In mid-air though, DarkKnightmon slammed into Fanglongmon, who fell to the floor. The collision caused the earth to shake. Fanglongmon got up, but nearly stumbled due to losing feeling in his hind leg.

"Have to finish this..." he muttered.

"You won't win..." DarkKnightmon told him as he pulled out the dark Xros Loader, "DigiXros!"

He was engulfed in a dark light, and when it faded he had changed in appearance. DarkKnightmon was now shorter, and the W crest that was originally on his chest, was now on his forehead, as his helmet resembled the pawns helmet he originally had on his right shoulder. His Twin Spear was broken into two segments which were perched on top of his shoulders. His armor still retained the skull like appearance on his chest, but he now wielded a huge black ax made entirely of metal. The bottom of the ax was made out of a part of DarkKnightmon's metal boot, and now had two handles on the side of the middle segment, for him to grab the ax. The head of the ax was black, with a silver spike design near the bottom, and two gold spikes protruding out of the sides near the top and on the back.

"SkullKnightmon, Big Ax Mode!"

He charged at Fanglongmon and attacked him with the ax. Fanglongmon jumped away, but his paralyzed leg hindered his ability to avoid the attack and was hit full force.

"Grah!" he was slammed into a mountain.

"DigiXros!"

SkullKnightmon was engulfed in the dark light and fused back into DarkKnightmon. Fanglongmon recovered from the assault, but everything was now a huge blur to him, and he could feel himself slowly succumbing to the poison.

"One chance..." he muttered. DarkKnightmon charged at him and slammed into him. Fanglongmon used that moment to wrap his tail around DarkKnightmon's leg and trip him.

"What?!" the knight lost his balance as he was lifted up. Fanglongmon slammed him to the ground and pinned him there. He started emanating a bright aura as his body was giving out sparks of electricity.

"I'll end it here..."

_ Damn it...! _DarkKnightmon recognized the attack and reached over to the Xros Loader. He grabbed it as Fanglongmon called out his attack.

"Taikyoku!"

"Xros Open!"

A huge explosion blinded the mountainside. When it faded, the battlefield was completely demolished. What remained was a huge crater. Fanglongmon was in the center, his body was completely exhausted. His vision was nothing more than a blur, but he faintly saw SkullKnightmon still alive and standing. The only difference in appearance between SkullKnightmon and when he wielded the huge ax was that he no longer had the golden W crest on any part of his body, and that his Twin Spear was split into two blades. Aside from that, his appearance remained the same.

"Damn...it..." Fanglongmon muttered as he succumbed to the poison and passed out. SkullKnightmon grabbed the Xros Loader and stored Fanglongmon inside.

"And with this, all the pieces are together..." SkullKnightmon told himself. He let out a sinister laugh, "Now to commence the second phase...I will bring Dorbickmon to his knees, and his fellow Death Generals will soon follow!"


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: DarkKnightmon's Plan: A Dragon's Dark Heart.**

The following morning we woke up before sunrise, though it was hard to tell since Rhine Stone City had no source of outside light. When we walked outside the cave, the sun's rays felt bright from being in the cave, and the three of us shielded our eyes for a moment.

"Come on." Shoutmon told me. He & Gumdramon both digivolved and we headed back to Dragon Land, giving one last look at Canyon Land before flying off. Upon arrival, I glanced down to see Dorbickmon walking towards the mountains.

"Shoutmon! Look down!"

He looked down and saw Dorbickmon as well, as did Arresterdramon.

"Alright, let's go!" he yelled and descended downward. We landed right in front of Dorbickmon, who upon seeing us gave us a sharp glare.

"You...!"

"Thought you could lose us?" OmegaShoutmon asked. Dorbickmon got into a battle stance.

"You're damned persistent! That's it! I've let you live long enough!"

OmegaShoutmon stood in front of us shouting, "If you want him, then you'll have to go through me first!"

"So be it!" Dorbickmon growled. Both he and OmegaShoutmon charged at each other, but before they could exchange fists, an explosion occurred in the mountains.

"What the-?!" we looked back to see smoke coming out of the center of the mountains, recognizing the location immediately.

"That's Dorbickmon's-!" my sentence was cut off when Dorbickmon jumped over us and ran towards the source.

"Hey!" OmegaShoutmon yelled. Arresterdramon glanced over to see me following Dorbickmon.

"Carlos!" Arresterdramon exclaimed.

_They're attacking Dorbickmon's home..._ the thought appeared as the chase to try and keep up with the huge dragon began.

Dorbickmon ran towards the entrance of the three trails. He took the center route and ran through the trail.

_You'll regret trespassing in MY domain! _he thought. The drake arrived to see smoke coming out of the entrance to his home. The sight of it filled him with anger.

"Show yourself you miserable coward!" he yelled as he looked around. Before he could notice, something struck him in the back of the neck, hitting a nerve.

"Guh...!" he fell to the floor unconscious.

"Excellent..."a sinister voice uttered.

I ran into the center trail as fast as possible. The long run had nearly exhausted me, since my heart was beating faster to deal with the sudden rush of energy. Arriving at the sight, Dorbickmon was on the floor unconscious.

"Dorbickmon!"

Before being able to run up to him, another Digimon appeared in front of Dorbickmon. He picked the drake up, putting the unconscious dragon on his back.

"W-who are you?!"

He merely turned to look at me, uttering a single sentence, "...the one who will bring this world to its knees..."

As fast as he appeared, the digimon vanished in a dark light, taking Dorbickmon with him.

"Carlos!" OmegaShoutmon yelled as he and Arresterdramon arrived at the scene. I glanced back at them.

"You've got to stop running off like that!" he told me. For a second my gaze was fixed on the ground, then it turned back to the smoke.

"What's wrong? Where's Dorbickmon?" Arresterdramon asked.

"...he was taken..."

"By who?!" OmegaShoutmon exclaimed.

"...by a dark knight." the two were informed. OmegaShoutmon's face widened with shock.

"N-no..." he muttered. The king had doubts when we overheard Gravimon and Dorbickmons conversation, but he now realized it was real.

"He's back..." he muttered.

* * *

In another undisclosed location, Dorbickmon groaned as he awoke from his slumber.

"Urgh...what...?" he rose to his feet and looked around to get a sense of where he was, recognizing the barren wasteland, "This is..."

"So you have awoken..." the sinister voice uttered. Dorbickmon quickly turned and upon seeing the digimon, snarled viciously.

"You...!"

"It's been a while...Dorbickmon the Fire-Fury." it responded.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon took no time to think as he shot two blasts of fire at the digimon. However, it vanished before the attack made impact.

"Grr! Show your damned face DarkKnightmon!" Dorbickmon roared. He felt a cold hand touch his shoulder.

"Your anger...it boils up inside you..." DarkKnightmon muttered. Dorbickmon circled around to hit him, but DarkKnightmon jumped over him and landed a few feet away. Dorbickmon kept his glare of anger fixed at the knight.

"You harbor revenge in you...revenge directed at me, is it not?" DarkKnightmon chuckled evilly. Dorbickmon snarled as he got into a battle stance.

"Hmph, I see words will be ineffective against you..." DarkKnightmon muttered, as he prepared himself, "Very well, it will be much more satisfying breaking you through action rather than words. So come Dorbickmon! Let us meet each other in battle to prove who is superior!"

The two stared each other down, Dorbickmon snarling with rage, and charged at each other.

"So DarkKnightmon has returned..." Arresterdramon muttered as the three of us thought of a way to find Dorbickmon.

"Yes, our worst enemy is alive, and there's no telling what he's planning this time..." OmegaShoutmon added.

"I see..." Arresterdramon turned to me.

"...we have to find Dorbickmon." I told them.

"How do you expect us to do that? He could be anywhere in the Seven Kingdoms!" Arresterdramon told us.

"We don't have enough time to search again." OmegaShoutmon added.

"We can't just sit here while DarkKnightmon gets his way!"

"I know that!" OmegaShoutmon brazenly responded. While we pondered ways to find DarkKnightmon and Dorbickmon, a thought came to mind.

"If DarkKnightmon is as manipulative as you say, then chances are he took Dorbickmon to a place that would only fuel Dorbickmon's anger even further. Is there a place you know that would apply?" I asked OmegaShoutmon. His eyes widened, as if he knew of such a place.

"Yes..."

"Where?"

He rose to his feet and grabbed me, placing me on his shoulder, "Quick, we don't have time to waste."

"Alright..." we responded. As we traveled, OmegaShoutmon explained his sudden thought.

"If there's one place I know that causes any negative emotions to be released, it's a crater near the mountains that separate Dragon Land from its neighbor Vampire Land. The whole area is a huge abyss surrounding a single center area. It was there before the Bagra Army was formed, before the Digital World was divided into Zones or Kingdoms, and going there fills Digimon with dark emotions. If we get there in time we might be able to stop it before Dorbickmon is influenced."

"What's it called...?" I asked him.

"Death Crater..." he grimly responded. We headed over there as fast as OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon could fly.

But during that time, Dorbickmon and DarkKnightmon had been fighting it out, with the latter slowly gaining the advantage.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon shot out two blasts of fire that homed in on DarkKnightmon.

"Super Dimensional Ax!" DarkKnightmon cut open a hole in the digital dimension, and Dorbickmon's attack was absorbed as the hole rebuilt itself.

"Grr...!" the drake snarled. Dorbickmon rushed at him and attacked with a fury of blows, however DarkKnightmon avoided them with ease. Dorbickmon attempted another Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, but DarkKnightmon struck a blow to his gut.

"Guh...!" the drake's air was nearly punched out of him. DarkKnightmon quickly slammed his Twin Spear onto the drake. The sheer force blew Dorbickmon away as he hit the floor, groaning in pain.

"Come now...is that all the General of Flames can muster...?" DarkKnightmon taunted. Dorbickmon snarled as he rose to his feet. From the fire building in his mouth, he summoned his sword of flames.

"Tyrant Collbrande!" the drake roared, and attacked with a vertical swing. DarkKnightmon raised his spear and blocked the attack.

"How pitiful..." the knight chuckled.

"Damn...you...!" Dorbickmon snarled.

"With a performance like that, this fight will end in my favor..." DarkKnightmon prepared himself for another one of Dorbickmon's attacks.

"I'll rip you to shreds before that!" Dorbickmon roared as he charged at him yet again.

* * *

We arrived at a desolate part of the mountains. The land was rough and there was no sign of life around for miles.

"Is this it...?" I asked.

"Yes...the crater should be around here somewhere..."

The three of us split up and started searching. Arresterdramon and OmegaShoutmon took to the skies to get a better view, leaving me to look around the landscape. But there was nothing around that would help us. Eventually we got some distance between each other.

"Damn it...where is he...?"

An explosion occurred behind me, and smoke was rising out of the horizon. Since there were no digimon around, then there was only one explanation.

"That's got to be it!" I ran towards the source, completely forgetting to have called Arresterdramon or OmegaShoutmon. The huge crater matching OmegaShoutmon's description came into view, and both Dorbickmon and DarkKnightmon were situated in the center area.

"Dorbickmon!"

DarkKnightmon assaulted Dorbickmon with blows to his stomach, followed by a strong uppercut to his neck, dazing the dragon as Dorbickmon fell to the floor. He struggled to get up, and DarkKnightmon glanced over to see me running over to him.

"You ok?!"

Dorbickmon turned to look at me, "You again..."

DarkKnightmon laughed, "So the human has decided to join us...how completely predictable!"

He took out a dark Xros Loader. The screen was blood red and had yellow spikes adorned on the top, as well as two horns protruding from the sides near the top and near the bottom.

"Is that...?!"

"Carlos!" OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon called out, as the two were flying straight at us.

"Darkness Loader!" DarkKnightmon exclaimed. It gave out a dark burst of light as a barrier of dark energy surrounded the three of us. When OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon tried passing through it, both were electrocuted and blown back.

"Arresterdramon! OmegaShoutmon!"

DarkKnightmon laughed, "So Dorbickmon...do you still think you can defeat me?"

Dorbickmon snarled as he rose to his feet.

"Though it's delightful to see you squirm, perhaps I will give you a chance..." DarkKnightmon sinisterly belittled him. He threw the Darkness Loader at Dorbickmon, followed by a small data chip which emanated a dark light.

"What...?"

"That small device you see is a prototype I've been developing. It will enhance the Darkness Loaders capabilities. I've named it the Dark DigiMemory. You'll be the first one to test it Dorbickmon...that is, unless you're rejecting my offer..."

Dorbickmon gnashed his teeth as his anger swelled up inside him.

"Honestly...the great Dorbickmon becoming a human's play-toy...it speaks low of you..."

Dorbickmon started emanating a faint red aura as his rage nearly peaked.

"And even you're fellow Death Generals have turned their backs on you. They think the same way about you, that's why they reject your plan, because you're nothing to them, just a weak little dragon with no backbone..."

"Don't listen to him!" I tried to calm Dorbickmon.

"I even took the liberty of retrieving your army for you. I'm giving you a chance...use that Dark DigiMemory and show them that you're better than them. Regain your honor Dorbickmon, and show them your true fury!"

Dorbickmon remained in silence as he tilted his head down, fixing his gaze at the two objects.

"Dorbickmon, don't listen to him...he's baiting you..." I reasoned with him, but he kneeled down and grabbed both the Darkness Loader and Dark DigiMemory, causing me to place my hand on his shoulder.

"Please..."

He stayed quiet for a brief period of time, and responded in the darkest tone I've heard him speak, shocking Arresterdramon, OmegaShoutmon and myself.

"...what the hell do you know about me? I don't take orders from a mere human...but with this...I'll have one last chance...to get my revenge...and show Blue Flare...and anyone else who gets in my way! They will feel my wrath!" He pushed me away, then raised the Darkness Loader in the air.

"DigiMemory!" he inserted the chip into the Darkness Loader.

"No..."

The screen lit up and a burst of energy surged out of the Darkness Loader. It hit Dorbickmon dead on and the force of it blew me away.

"Carlos!" Arresterdramon and OmegaShoutmon exclaimed. A cage of dark energy formed around me, trapping me inside. We watched in horror as Dorbickmon yelled in pain. The energy coursed through his entire body and the dark symbol for DarkKnightmon's old army Twilight, which was delineated as a black skull with two horns coming out of its head, appeared on his forehead. The light faded as Dorbickmon glared at DarkKnightmon. I could see the darkness inside his eyes, the flame of revenge.

"Perfect..." DarkKnightmon muttered.

"Damn...it...!" OmegaShoutmon growled as he charged at the barrier.

"Omega The Fusion!" he attacked the barrier, but it electrocuted him and forced him back.

"OmegaShoutmon!"

We watched as the king continued his relentless attack, desperately trying to break it open. Looking back at Dorbickmon, he was looking into the Xros Loader.

"You're entire army's waiting..." DarkKnightmon sinisterly chuckled. Dorbickmon raised the Darkness Loader in the air.

"DigiXros!" he roared. He was engulfed in a dark aura when it faded, it revealed Dorbickmon had grown bigger. He now had a tail that resembled Fanglongmon's, right down to the diamond scale design, but it was crimson to suit his color. He also gained red dragon wings which were a shade of red and violet on the inside. Two of the spikes he had on his back were now growing out of the top of his wings. The two red poleyns on his shin guards were now replaced with a gray spike.

"Dorbickmon, Darkness Mode!"

He dashed at DarkKnightmon at an incredibly fast speed, and assaulted DarkKnightmon with a barrage of attacks. DarkKnightmon couldn't keep up and was hit full force. He grunted in pain as Dorbickmon slammed him onto the ground.

"Please stop Dorbickmon..." I muttered. DarkKnightmon fought back, but his attacks didn't even cause Dorbickmon to flinch as he glared at him.

"I'll make you suffer..." he snarled. Dorbickmon crashed his fist onto DarkKnightmon's face. DarkKnightmon hit the barrier and it in turn, electrocuted him as he yelled in pain. Dorbickmon sneered at his new-found power. He started to laugh, and it progressed from a slight chuckle to a maniacal, almost psychotic laugh.

"Dorbickmon...why...?"

"Beat Slash!" OmegaShoutmon attacked the barrier over and over again, with Arresterdramon helping, but neither of them have made a dent.

"Damn it!"

"Why won't this thing budge?!" Arresterdramon growled.

"The Darkness Loader must be what keeps it powered..."

They both pondered a way to force it open, all the while Dorbickmon was giving into the darkness.

"You're a fool DarkKnightmon! You'll regret ever handing me your most powerful weapon!" he laughed. I looked at DarkKnightmon, who wasn't even worried at all of this turn in the tide.

"You will feel my wrath..." Dorbickmon growled as he raised the Darkness Loader in the air, "Darkness Loader!"

The device emitted a burst of dark light that hit Dorbickmon, as he growled at DarkKnightmon.

"Now you'll see...DarkTyrannomon!" he roared. Dorbickmon emanated the dark light as a DarkTyrannomon appeared on the field. He was a bipedal black tyrannosaurus with white scales from his chest down. His build was very muscular, and he had two iron tipped claws on each hand, which were adorned with many brown colored belts. The last two teeth on his lower jaw were saber-toothed, and he had red stripes on his legs, as well as on both of his jaws, shoulders and down his back. There were green scales running down his head, back and down to the tip of his tail. DarkTyrannomon had cerulean colored eyes, and two gray scars on both his eyes.

"What is he planning...?" OmegaShoutmon wondered, while trying to find a way to break through the barrier.

"I'll use DarkTyrannomon as an attack to bring you down to your knees!" Dorbickmon roared.

"No! Dorbickmon, don't do it!" I exclaimed. We watched in horror as the digimon was engulfed in a dark light. DarkTyrannomon was absorbed by Dorbickmon again, and the emblem of flame on his cannons turned black.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" he roared. The drake fired a dark flame which slammed into DarkKnightmon, and upon impact, deteriorated into data.

"No..."

DarkKnightmon held his ground, but the impact pushed him back, closer to the barrier. Dorbickmon growled at the sight.

"Persistent...no matter...Salamandermon! Flarerizamon!" the dragon barked. Both digimon appeared on the field. Salamandermon resembled a red salamander with black colored eyes, and red flame patterns on his back, tail and legs. Out of his body, fire was circulation around it. His mouth looked stitched together. Flarerizamon on the other hand, was an orange lizard made of fire, with a silver helmet, red eyes and a tail. He had a huge lower jaw with fangs to match, and three claws on each hand.

"Dorbickmon, stop!" I yelled at him, but to no avail. The sight of him giving into the anger led me to try and find a way out of the cell as Dorbickmon absorbed the two digimon and repeated the process.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" the dragon roared, and fired his attack. DarkKnightmon jumped away, but the attack followed after and hit him full force. He grunted in pain, much to Dorbickmon's pleasure.

"Whats wrong...? Is my power too much?" he taunted, and laughed evilly. DarkKnightmon slowly got up as Dorbickmon's hate grew even further.

"You don't learn, do you...?" he snarled.

He held the Darkness Loader in the air, "Devidramon! Gigadramon! Megadramon!"

All three of the Digimon appeared on the field. Devidramon was a black bipedal dragon with two blood red eyes on both sides of his face. He wore a few brown colored belts on his right forearm, as well as a skull tattoo on his right shoulder, with crimson claws, he had two black dragon wings on his back as well as a tail that looked like a closed claw. Gigadramon and Megadramon had a similar appearance. Both of them had no legs, so all of their lower body was a long tail, and both were aerial dragons. Their chest was muscular, with a tattoo of a skull and crossbones on their chest. Their hands were simply two missile ports closed in the shape of a claw. They wore a dark gray iron helmet on their head, and their eyes were colored yellow. Their hair was spiked back. There were differences between them. Megadramon on one hand, had navy blue dragon wings that had a few stitches near the center wings, and his hair was colored sky blue. The dragon was red orange and the color of the bottom of his tail was yellow. Gigadramon on the other hand, had metal wings with blue squares near the inside of the wings. His hair was dark blue, as was the bottom of his tail, and his skin color was gray. We witnessed Dorbickmon absorb the three and repeated his attack.

"You don't know what you're doing!" OmegaShoutmon yelled at him.

"Dorbickmon, stop!" Arresterdramon pleaded. Dorbickmon ignored us and attacked with no relent, hitting his target yet again.

"Why...? Why would you do this to your own army...?" I muttered. Despite the repeated assault, DarkKnightmon was still able to stand his ground, filling Dorbickmon with anger. He pointed the Darkness Loader at the sky one last time.

"Fanglongmon!" he roared, and my eyes widened with shock at the thought.

"No! Not him!"

"Dorbickmon! Don't go through with this!" OmegaShoutmon yelled.

"Don't betray the only comrade you have left!" Arresterdramon exclaimed. Both he and OmegaShoutmon increased their power and slammed into the barrier, but like previous attempts, they were electrocuted and forced back.

"Damn it!" OmegaShoutmon gritted his teeth in anger. Fanglongmon appeared in front of Dorbickmon as he looked around to get a view of his surroundings.

"Now Fanglongmon...I'll absorb your data so that we may end this..." Dorbickmon commanded him. Fanglongmon turned back to him, his eyes filled with astonishment. Dorbickmon merely glared at him.

"Do it...that's an order..." he snarled.

"Fanglongmon, don't listen to him!" I yelled at him. But Fanglongmon only looked down as he suffered the same fate as the others.

"No..."

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon roared as he fired another attack at DarkKnightmon. As the attack approached him, the knight gave a slight smirk.

"Perfect..." he muttered, "Super Dimensional Ax!"

"What?!" Dorbickmon's eyes widened with surprise. We observed as DarkKnightmon cut a hole in the dimension. Most of Dorbickmon's attack was absorbed, but it still passed through and hit DarkKnightmon with only half its power, pushing him back again.

"Fanglongmon..."

Dorbickmon laughed, "Look at you squirm! I love it! Finally the dark knight will receive his atonement!"

We watched as Dorbickmon's face turned into an evil, almost psychotic grin, but it quickly faded when we heard DarkKnightmon start laughing.

"What...?!" Dorbickmon uttered.

"Excellent...no, marvelous! You're performance is outstanding!" DarkKnightmon sneered.

"What are you babbling about?!" Dorbickmon barked.

"Your anger, your hate, your lust for revenge! You have far surpassed my expectations Dorbickmon!" the knight explained.

"What are you talking about?!" the drake barked, confused by the knight's words.

"Just look at your last attack! You used your own army as mere bullets, even sacrificing your own comrade Fanglongmon to fuel your want for vengeance!"

Dorbickmons face widened with shock, "I...!"

"You are just like me Dorbickmon. Using your own comrade, the only one you had an inch of trust in, to help your goal for revenge, and not caring what would become of him." DarkKnightmon smirked.

"I...!" Dorbickmon was in such a state a shock that his hand nearly released its grip on the Darkness Loader.

"And now it's time I, no, WE fought back!" DarkKnightmon exclaimed, "Darkness Loader!"

The screen of the device started glowing, and Dorbickmon felt his arm start moving without his control.

"My arm..." the drake attempted to fight it, "It's...!"

"Little did you know, the Dark DigiMemory allows me to control you for a brief period of time!"

"What...?!"

"Darkness Loader, Xros Open!"

The device engulfed Dorbickmon in a dark light, as the drake was forcefully reverted back into his normal form. He yelled in pain as he fell to the floor. When he rose to his feet, he was surprised to see Fanglongmon and all the other Digimon he used as bullets in front of him.

"What...?"

"Since it was a prototype, when you attacked me, you only used a fragment of their data as an attack, and now look at them. They are filled with hate, hate directed at you."

All of them, even Fanglongmon were snarling and gritting their teeth in anger. Dorbickmon took a step back as the Darkness Loader returned to DarkKnightmon. The look on his face had a hidden feeling of fear inside.

"Your own army will be the cause of your demise..." DarkKnightmon sinisterly told him. All of the digimon were absorbed by the Darkness Loader, which transferred their power into DarkKnightmon's Twin Spear. It gave off a dark light that blinded the arena. Dorbickmon watched, completely frozen in place.

"May the hatred of your army drive you to oblivion!" DarkKnightmon yelled. The accumulated energy in the Twin Spear shot out as a blast of dark flame and lightning that, upon impact, engulfed Dorbickmon in an inferno that shocked every nerve in his body as well as burning through Dorbickmon's skin.

"GRAH!" he roared in pain, which echoed through the mountain range.

"DORBICKMON!"

When it was all over, Dorbickmons body was scorched. Fumes of smoke emanated from the inflicted areas on his body. The gruesome pain coursing through his body had him slouched over, barely able to stand.

"And now...to the victor goes his spoils...you will come with me..." DarkKnightmon laughed.

There were no words to describe the look on Dorbickmon's face. It was broken, emotionless, and filled with grief. All that pride, power and arrogance he had was gone as he stood there at the mercy of DarkKnightmon.

"No...no! I won't let it end this way!" I yelled, gripping my Xros Loader. The screen gave off a faint light that repelled the dark cage that incarcerated me. The Darkness Loader gave off a dark light that approached Dorbickmon.

"I won't let you take Dorbickmon away!" DarkKnightmon heard me yell. Looking over, he saw me running with all the strength possible. The three of them watched me step in front of Dorbickmon as the light form the Darkness Loader hit me instead. A dark feeling coursed throughout my body, filling me with pain. "Gah!"

"CARLOS!" OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon yell. Falling to the floor, the darkness inside was numbing my body as DarkKnightmon walked up to me.

"On second thought..." he uttered, and grabbed me, shocking Arresterdramon and OmegaShoutmon.

"What are you doing?!" OmegaShoutmon yelled.

"I will be taking the human...he could end up being of use to me..." he responded.

"No..." OmegaShoutmon snarled, "I WON'T LET YOU!"

With all his might, he attacked the barrier with Omega The Fusion, and despite the electrocution, he forced the barrier open and soared straight at us.

"Shout...mon..." I uttered as DarkKnightmon cut a hole in the dimension and jumped in, taking me with him. The faint vision of OmegaShoutmon was the last thing to see before blacking out. The portal closed behind us. OmegaShoutmon crashed his fist into the ground, but it was too late for him to do anything. DarkKnightmon was gone, and all that was left in the field was a small shard of a black diamond and my Xros Loader. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as tightly as possible, letting out a simple yell of anger.

"Ou-sama..." Arresterdramon watched before turning back to see Dorbickmon collapse on the floor unconscious.

* * *

"Ugh..." I woke up to find my arms and legs tied in chains that radiated a dark energy. "What..?"

Looking around, there was a single torch lighting the room. It was enough to give me a hint of where DarkKnightmon had taken me. It was a dungeon of sorts in what resembled the interior of dark castle of sorts. There were two columns to provide the foundation, as well as a window a few feet over my head, illuminating the room a bit with the moon's reflection of light. The door was made of wood, with iron bars to reinforce it's security. About a few minutes later, the door opened and DarkKnightmon walked over with a fragment of a red diamond that appeared to be data, but it emanated a dark aura.

"What...is that...?"

"You will be my test subject..." DarkKnightmon muttered, shocking me.

"What...what do you mean...?!" I asked. He grinned as he got closer.

"During the Bagra Army's reign of the digital world, my brother created a virus he called Whispered. It would take control of any digimon and would cause havoc."

"And...?"

"I tried something different. I wanted to see the effects the Darkness Loader could have on data. So I extracted a fragment from a digimon, and the results were interesting..."

"So...?"

"So I decided to extract a fragment from each of the Death Generals. However I was only able to extract one from Dorbickmon before Taiki and Shoutmon showed up in Dragon Land..." he explained.

"What...does that...have to do with me...?"

"Because you will be the host. I want to see what happens to a human when a digimon's data is injected inside them..." DarkKnightmon laughed sinisterly, shocking me at the thought. I backed away from him, but the chains pinned me to the wall.

"There's no place for you to run..." he added. The dark energy drained me slowly, causing me to pass out, and as a result, making it easier for DarkKnightmon to insert the fragment.

"Dor...bick...mon..." was the final word that came out of my mouth before losing it completely.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: A New Power, Xros Digivolution**

"Damn that DarkKnightmon!" OmegaShoutmon yelled as he punched the bedrock Dragon Falls is situated next to, "His plan from the start was to go after Carlos!"

"Ou-sama..." Arresterdramon muttered as he held the unconscious Dorbickmon on his back. After what happened, the two had returned to Dragon Land to think of a way to plan a rescue.

"There is no telling what DarkKnightmon will do to him..." OmegaShoutmon responded as he punched the rock again, "I should have been more vigilant..."

"It wasn't your fault..." Arresterdramon tacitly told him as he sat Dorbickmon against a tree.

"Yes it is..." OmegaShoutmon responded under his breath, "As king, I owe it to him to keep him safe...we should have never split up to look for Dorbickmon..."

As the two stood there, they turned back when they heard Dorbickmon groan in pain, which signaled that he was waking up from his slumber.

"uurrrghhh..." he snarled in pain. The dragon woke up to see OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon looking at him.

"You..." he glanced around, "Where..."

"Dragon Falls." OmegaShoutmon bluntly interrupted him, "Now get up..."

"...hmph." Dorbickmon slowly rose to his feet, cringing the whole time due to the damage done to his body in his fight with DarkKnightmon. He glanced at his injuries, noting many burns on his body, some of which were deep enough to cause him to bleed. But it looked like he was patched up already.

"DarkKnightmon..." he groused, looking around. Dorbickmon noticed it was only Arresterdramon and OmegaShoutmon with him, and he muttered, "So you finally ditched the brat..."

OmegaShoutmon snapped when he heard Dorbickmon's comment. The king grabbed him, slammed him into the bedrock and pinned him up against it. Dorbickmon cringed in pain since OmegaShoutmon had his grip on one of Dorbickmon's injuries.

"We didn't abandon him! He risked his life to save you, you ungrateful bastard!" he yelled. Dorbickmon's body was in too much pain for him to be able to fight back.

"And you blame his death wish on me...?!" he snarled. The king tightened his grip on the drake's injury, causing him to cringe and let out a grunt of pain.

"You're damned right I do..." OmegaShoutmon gritted his teeth in anger, "I don't know what the hell your problem is, but he saved you out of the goodness in his heart! And here you are, still alive and yet you don't care at all! Why the hell can't you accept the fact that he's your partner now!?"

Dorbickmon stayed in silence as OmegaShoutmon kept him pinned to the bedrock. In Dorbickmon's condition, OmegaShoutmon could easily finish what DarkKnightmon started, and that way he wouldn't have to worry about Dorbickmon anymore. That thought circled around his mind, but he merely glared and released Dorbickmon, who could barely stand.

"Hmph...then again I'm talking to Dorbickmon the Fire-Fury. An arrogant prick who cares about no one but himself..." he harshly belittled him. OmegaShoutmon turned to walk back towards Arresterdramon.

"A digimon like you would never understand what having a human partner is like..." he muttered and gave one last sharp glare at Dorbickmon, "One day you will die cold and alone, and NO ONE, will come help you..."

The king stormed off, leaving Dorbickmon there to take care of his injuries.

"Ou-sama!" Arresterdramon followed after OmegaShoutmon. Dorbickmon sat there, watching the two leave, with a fixed glare. As the two walked off, they contemplated.

"What's our plan?" Arresterdramon asked.

"We're gonna find where DarkKnightmon took Carlos, and we're gonna break him out." the king explained.

"How do you intend to find him...?" Arresterdramon asked again.

"By finding a place that radiates the same energy as the Darkness Loader. When DarkKnightmon escaped, he dropped a small black shard that was emanating that dark aura, if I use that energy as a signal, I should be able to find where DarkKnightmon is hiding." OmegaShoutmon told him.

"Alright." Arresterdramon nodded in agreement. OmegaShoutmon took to the sky.

"I'm going on ahead, you go back to the castle and wait for me there." OmegaShoutmon told him as he soared off into the horizon. Arresterdramon watched him leave, and after being a considerable distance away, he degenerated to Gumdramon.

"There something I've got to do first..." he muttered, and ran back towards Dorbickmon, who was still sitting against the bedrock.

"Hey!" Gumdramon called out as he approached him.

"You...you're the runt who trains with Shoutmon..." Dorbickmon crudely muttered.

"I have a name, it's Gumdramon." the small dragon told him.

"Hmph...out with it, what do you want?" Dorbickmon bluntly asked.

"...why do you hate Carlos so much...?" Gumdramon responded. Dorbickmon sat there, giving Gumdramon a slight glare, and looked away.

"He's only trying to help you..."

"I don't need the help of some human..." Dorbickmon brazenly muttered. Gumdramon rolled his eyes.

"And why not?" he asked Dorbickmon, who merely ignored the question.

"Hmph, just scram kid...unless you want to get hurt..." Dorbickmon indignantly responded.. Gumdramon went over and with little energy, hit one of Dorbickmon's many injuries with his hammer.

"Guh...!" Dorbickmon grunted in pain, nearly holding the injury.

"Yeah...in your condition, a fruit would do more damage to me than you..."

Dorbickmon growled at him, yet for some reason, he hadn't tried to kill the small dragon.

"Why do you hate humans so much? Is it because you were defeated by one?" Gumdramon asked. The question filled Dorbickmon with rage.

"You...!"

"Hey, I'm not trying to be hostile towards you...it's only a question, calm down." Gumdramon explained.

"Why the hell do you even care...?" Dorbickmon snarled, annoyed by the small drake at this point.

"Call it a whim..." Gumdramon replied. Dorbickmon stayed mute, scowling at the young dragon the entire time.

"Alright, don't tell me..." Gumdramon responded, "I'm only trying to be nice..."

"...why do you even trust that runt anyway...?" Dorbickmon bluntly asked.

"Because he's my friend. He helped me, its only natural friends help each other. You two are partners now, you should be helping each other. It's not as bad as you make it out to be. Take me for example, although my partner Tagiru is away with Taiki, I still train because I want to make him proud. He helps me when I'm down, and together we are a team!"

Dorbickmon stayed in silence, looking down at the floor for a moment. Gumdramon gave a slight smirk.

"That's why...I think it's best that you hold onto it." he muttered. Dorbickmon glanced at him in confusion.

"Hold on to what?" the drake asked. Gumdramon walked up to him.

"His Xros Loader, he left it behind when DarkKnightmon apprehended him." he explained.

"You..."

"You might be evil Dorbickmon...but even you have a heart..." Gumdramon placed the Xros Loader in Dorbickmon's care and gave one last look into his eyes. The Death General looked at the small dragon.

"Maybe someday you'll understand...take care of it until then ok?" Gumdramon asked him, and walked off. Dorbickmon glanced down at the Xros Loader. He flashed back to the fight for an instant, remaining silent. The sound of the waterfall filled his eardrums as he stayed there with his gaze fixed at the device, which reflected a light when the sun hit the screen. When Gumdramon returned to the castle, Shoutmon had been waiting for him outside the castle gate.

"You're late..." the king crossed his arms.

"Sorry, I got caught up in something..." Gumdramon responded as the two walked into the throne room, "Did you find anything?"

Shoutmon nodded, "In Vampire Land, there's a dark tower I hadn't seen before. It doesn't belong to NeoVamdemon, and the shard started glowing when I approached the tower. That's got to be where he's hiding."

"Then let's go save him!" Gumdramon made a fist.

"Just one problem, there is a barrier blocking the entrance..." Shoutmon told him the bad news.

"Oh..."

"Finding a way to get past it will take some time." he responded, as he walked towards his throne.

"How long?" Gumdramon asked, glancing over at him.

"A few hours at least..." Shoutmon muttered.

"Alright..." Gumdramon looked down, and assisted Shoutmon. They pondered way to break open the barrier, all the while Gumdramon was wondering if Dorbickmon was ok. The two had left him there alone, and the injuries were too much for Dorbickmon to be moving normally by the look of it.

"Dorbickmon..." the small dragon muttered.

"Something bothering you?" Shoutmon asked as he looked at Gumdramon.

"N-no! It's nothing..." Gumdramon looked away.

"You sure?" the king asked again.

"Yes..."

"Alright then..." Shoutmon turned back to thinking of a way to get rid of the barrier. After a while of examining the tower's defenses using a map he had of the entire digital world that projected the world on it's current day, Shoutmon noticed a pattern.

"I think I found something!" he exclaimed. Gumdramon looked over.

"What is it?" he asked, as he walked over.

"Ok, around every three quarter hour there is a one minute interval in which the barrier weakens in strength, that gives us time to break through." Shoutmon explained.

"Alright, when's the next interval...?" Gumdramon asked.

"In about 40 minutes, we have to move." the king informed both of them ran out of the throne room and into the courtyard. They digivolved and started flying to Vampire Land.

Halfway there though, Arresterdramon felt his stomach start hurting.

"Ugh..." he groaned, holding his stomach.

"What's wrong...?" OmegaShoutmon asked.

"My stomach...it hurts...you go on ahead. I'll catch up..." he explained.

"You sure?" OmegaShoutmon looked at him.

"Yeah...oohgh..." Arresterdramon groaned.

"Alright...don't take too long." OmegaShoutmon responded and flew off. When he was out of view, Arresterdramon let go of his stomach and flew towards Dragon Land.

"I'm sorry for lying Ou-sama...but I've got to take care of something..." he muttered. Arriving back at Dragon Falls, he scouted the area and found Dorbickmon, who was deep in sleep, still sitting against the bedrock near the waterfall. Upon closer inspection, Arresterdramon noticed Dorbickmon breathing heavily and perspiring from his head.

_Is he having a nightmare...?_ Arresterdramon thought. After a while, Dorbickmon abruptly jolted awake from his sleep. Arresterdramon noticed he had a look of paranoia as he wiped the sweat off his head.

"Bad dream?" he asked Dorbickmon, who turned to face him and upon sight, gave the dragon a cold look.

"You..." he growled.

"You know, it isn't very wise to sleep outside without a campfire. Dragon digimon can't exactly handle cold weather very well...unless you're a SnowAgumon..." Arresterdramon glanced over at the night sky.

"Cut the crap kid..." Dorbickmon bluntly retorted, "Now what do you want...?"

"I just came to tell you that we found DarkKnightmon's hideout. It's the tower in Vampire Land." Arresterdramon informed the drake. Dorbickmon stayed silent.

"I just thought you'd want to know, considering your partner is over there..." Arresterdramon mentioned. The Death General looked away.

"That brat isn't my partner...nor will he ever be..." Dorbickmon muttered. Arresterdramon crossed his arms.

"You really are hardheaded..." he told him. Dorbickmon growled at the digimon.

"You know, it's pretty pathetic to see you moping like this...but what do I know, I'm just a brat right...?" Arresterdramon walked up to him. The Death General still remained silent.

"I know there is some good in you, otherwise you would have never had Fanglongmon as your comrade..." Arresterdramon responded. Dorbickmon merely stayed mute.

"Give it some thought, maybe you'll come to see it isn't so bad..."

With that last sentence, Arresterdramon took flight towards Vampire Land. Dorbickmon sat there in silence, and opened his palm to look at the Xros Loader.

"That brat..." Dorbickmon watched him fly off.

Arresterdramon arrived at Vampire Land, and caught up to OmegaShoutmon, who was scouting out the area where he hypothesized DarkKnightmon would be in.

"Feeling better?" he asked Arresterdramon.

"Yeah, how close is it?" Arresterdramon responded.

"Pretty close, be prepared." OmegaShoutmon informed him.

"Right..."

They arrived at a cliff that overlooked most of Vampire Land. An abandoned, worn out tower made of gray concrete was situated in the center, guarded by a dark barrier of energy.

"Alright...let's go." OmegaShoutmon ordered. Both of them soared towards it, but were ambushed by a group of Devimon, which were demon digimon resembling a man with black wings, red eyes and bore devil like qualities, such as two black horns on the sides of their heads and an orange symbol of a bat on their chests. The digimon wore belts on its arms, left forearm, stomach and legs, as well as brown bandaged weights on its right forearm, and black boots, the right one having steel bands and the left boot having the same bat symbol the Devimon had on their chests. There was a skull tattoo on their left shoulders and right kneecaps.

"Couldn't make this easy could he...?" OmegaShoutmon told himself as he and Arresterdramon charged into battle.

"Heavy Metal Vulcan!" OmegaShoutmon yelled, firing two beams of fire at the group, chipping away the left flank.

"Prism Gallet!"Arresterdramon rammed into the side of the group, taking care of three Devimon. As they fought, the barrier weakened in power on cue.

"Ou-sama! The barrier!" Arresterdramon exclaimed.

"Damn...they're stalling for time!" OmegaShoutmon growled. As they fought, more and more Devimon arrived, and started pushing them back even further. OmegaShoutmon hit one after the other.

"If we don't get through there, then-!"  
"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

A burst of flame hit the barrier, creating a gap in the energy flux. Arresterdramon glanced over at the attacker.

"It's-!"

OmegaShoutmon looked over to see Dorbickmon rushing towards the barrier. He jumped up and passed through the opening as the barrier closed.

"Dorbickmon..." the king muttered, as he and Arresterdramon decided to take care of the Devimon first. Meanwhile, Dorbickmon rushed up the incessant staircase of the dark tower, as the torches on the wall next to him lit up the farther he trekked. He reached the end to find himself in a room resembling a throne room, but worn out and many parts of it destroyed, leaving many holes and cracks in the walls. The columns were the only thing keeping the entire room from collapsing; he glared at DarkKnightmon, who was sitting down on a throne.

"So, you have arrived...quite surprising..." the knight smirked.

"Grr...!"

"I see you have the boy's Xros Loader...has the guilt finally overpowered you...?"

"Shut that trap of yours!" Dorbickmon barked, "The brat has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh but he does...at least now he is a part of it..." DarkKnightmon sinisterly muttered. Dorbickmon clenched his fist in anger. Every fiber in his body wanted to crush DarkKnightmon's skull to pieces.

"And yet...you yourself never learn either...since you're not here for the boy...I assume you've returned for another imprudent attempt at revenge...what a stubborn dragon you are..."

"You...!" Dorbickmon gritted his teeth in anger.

"When will the lesson become clear...you are no match for me...you are still injured from our previous battle...and your army is no longer by your side. The odds are greatly in my favor..."

"Dorbickmon!" they heard two voices call out.

OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon arrived at the scene to see Dorbickmon start emanating a red aura. He gritted his teeth at DarkKnightmon.

"But then again...you were always taking orders like a dog..." the knight insulted him. Dorbickmon's face widened with anger as he gritted his teeth to the point his jaw started to bleed. In a mere instant, the anger accumulated in him exploded as he rushed at DarkKnightmon at a blinding fast speed and struck a blow causing the room to shake.

"Oh no...Dorbickmons on a rampage...!" OmegaShoutmon explained. DarkKnightmon jumped out of the smoke as Dorbickmon chased after him. He skillfully avoided Dorbickmon's deadly assault of attacks as he kept his distance form the dragon.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

He shot out two bursts of flame which combined into one and headed straight towards DarkKnightmon, who avoided it at the last second. Dorbickmon smashed the columns to pieces in a blind rage as he chased after DarkKnightmon. The tower started to shake as each column fell.

"If Dorbickmon keeps this up, then the whole place will collapse on us!" Arresterdramon exclaimed. OmegaShoutmon ran straight at Dorbickmon and grabbed him from behind.

"Dorbickmon, calm down!" he told the drake. Dorbickmon snarled as he broke free of OmegaShoutmon's grip. The dragon quickly turned and punched OmegaShoutmon in the face.

"Gah!" the king yelled in pain. Dorbickmon followed the attack up by slamming OmegaShoutmon on the floor and pinning him down by the neck. The cannons on his chest started glowing as he snarled viciously, almost animal like, at OmegaShoutmon, who struggled to get free.

"Ou-sama!" Arresterdramon flew over to them both as quickly as possible. OmegaShoutmon prepared himself for the worst.

"Dragon Breath Tonic-!"

"DORBICKMON, STOP!"

He glanced over, as did OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon. DarkKnightmon smirked.

"C-carlos...?!" OmegaShoutmon muttered in astonishment. They looked at me with surprise and shock.

"Interesting..." DarkKnightmon muttered. Dorbickmon slowly regained his control as he let go of OmegaShoutmon. He rose to his feet.

"You..." he muttered. To our surprise, DarkKnightmon impaled Dorbickmon through his chest before we could react.

"Dorbickmon!" Arresterdramon cried out.

"No!" I ran over as DarkKnightmon retracted his spear and jumped away.

"You...bastard!" OmegaShoutmon got up and charged after him. Dorbickmon collapsed on the floor as small bits of data were coming out of his body.

"Dorbickmon..."

In between gasps, he looked over to me, "You...you...guh...risked your life...to save mine..."

In his hand, he had my Xros Loader, which surprised me. He glared slightly.

"Why...do something so stupid...for the likes of me...even though...I wanted you dead..." he asked. I reached into his palm, looked up at him, and showed him the Xros Loader.

"This...is why." he heard me respond. He stayed in silence as he looked at the Xros Loader, then back to me.

"Whether you accepted me or not, I was, no, I AM your partner now! I want to prove my worth to you! Which is why I refuse to let some damned freak of darkness take you away!"

Dorbickmon was surprised, "You..."

"Get up Dorbickmon! You were not one to quit when you wanted me dead! Don't let him take your life! Show that dark bastard your true strength and ferocity! A dragon's pride isn't shown through surrendering!" he heard me exclaim. Dorbickmon grunted in pain, but still kept talking despite his breathing being hindered.

" ...hmph...those words...coming from...a human's mouth...how...ironic..." he muttered.

"I won't let him win, and neither will you!"

In that moment, the Xros Loader let out a huge burst of golden energy that engulfed us both.

"What?!" DarkKnightmon exclaimed.

"It can't be..." OmegaShoutmon, along with Arresterdramon, were taken by surprised.

"...huh..?" I looked around, but saw nothing but gold energy around me, "Where...?"

The Xros Loader gave off a light from the screen. Upon looking at it, what resembled the Greek symbol Δ appeared on the screen, only it was turned on its side. The whole scene was confusing.

"What is...?"

_It's time... _a voice told me. It was the exact same voice that appeared when my Xros Loader was given to me.

"It's you...what do you mean...?"

_With your hearts resonating...activate your new power..._

"Power...? What power...?"

_The power...of Xros Digivolution..._

"Xros...Digivolution...?"

_Digivolve...your partner..._ it responded as it faded away. Standing there for a moment looking into the Xros Loaders screen, a new-found confidence surged inside me.

"Alright then..." I raised the Xros Loader in the air, "Dorbickmon, Xros Shinka!"

"What?!" DarkKnightmon's eyes widened with shock.

"Xros...Shinka...?" OmegaShoutmon muttered in astonishment. As the light dissipated in the wind, Dorbickmon transformed into his most powerful form, astonishing the dark knight.

"Dorbickmon Darkness Mode?! Impossible! You need the entire Dragon Army for you to DigiXros into that form!"

"Heh..." OmegaShoutmon smirked at DarkKnightmon, "Can't you feel that energy...?"

"What...?!" the knight glared.

"He is not being powered by darkness! He's no longer Dorbickmon Darkness Mode!" OmegaShoutmon explained.

"He...is Dorbickmon Dragon Mode!" I informed the knight.

"Xros Shinka, Dorbickmon Dragon Mode!" Dorbickmon roared.

"It's power is twice that of its dark counterpart!" he heard me exclaim. DarkKnightmon regained his composure, despite this new-found power.

"Even if you did manage to achieve that form without DigiXrossing, you still won't be able to defeat me!" he exclaimed. To his astonishment, Dorbickmon appeared behind him.

"You talk with that trap of yours too much..." the dragon growled. He crashed his fist into DarkKnightmon's face, and the force crashed the knight through the left side of the tower.

"Incredible..." OmegaShoutmon was in awe of the increase in Dorbickmon's strength.

DarkKnightmon appeared out of the rubble and hovered above all of us. This event had angered him.

"I've wasted enough time with you all...if I strike you down here, then that form would have gone to waste!" the knight yelled. He raised the Darkness Loader in the air and it emanated a dark light that infused itself into his spear.

"I'll use the dark energy I've collected to destroy this place!" he exclaimed. Dorbickmon appeared in front of me as he prepared himself. The cannons on his chest started to glow.

"Die!" DarkKnightmon shot out the accumulated energy from his spear.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Dorbickmon shot out a burst of flame, which met DarkKnightmon's attack dead on as both forces fought against each other.

"You can do it Dorbickmon!" I exclaimed. As they fought, DarkKnightmon kept feeding more dark energy into his attack, which started pushing Dorbickmon's attack back. The dragon grunted in pain as the force started to slowly push him back. Dorbickmon stood his ground as the attack approached us. OmegaShoutmon and Arresterdramon both looked at each other, and nodded. Arresterdramon took to the skies and OmegaShoutmon ran up to where Dorbickmon was.

"Heavy Metal Vulcan!" the king shot out two beams of fire as he stood next to Dorbickmon, who merely glanced at him. The boost in energy caused DarkKnightmon's attack to start faltering.

"This...this can't be...!" the knight stammered.

"Prism Gallet!" Arresterdramon roared. DarkKnightmon was taken by surprise as he moved out of the way to avoid Arresterdramon's attack

"Now!" I yelled.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

"Heavy Metal Vulcan!"

Both digimon roared as their attacks combined into one which hit DarkKnightmon dead on, as he yelled in pain.

"We did it!" Arresterdramon exclaimed. When the smoke faded we saw DarkKnightmon had a considerable amount of damage done to him.

"You...! You will regret this day...!" he muttered before vanishing into a portal made by his Super Dimensional Ax. As he left, the ground under us started to shake.

"C-crap!"

Dorbickmon grunted in pain as he reverted to his normal form and collapsed from fatigue.

"Hurry!" Arresterdramon exclaimed. OmegaShoutmon grabbed Dorbickmon and put him on his back while Arresterdramon grabbed me in his hands. We all fled as the tower collapsed, and made our way back towards Dragon Land.

"Think he'll be back?" Arresterdramon asked OmegaShoutmon.

"Yes...and with a stronger vengeance." the king muttered. Somewhere else however, DarkKnightmon appeared out of his portal. Holding his arm in pain, he forced himself towards a room filled with different kinds of experiments he was working on. He walked over to a specific one, which looked merely like a small black flame of data kept in a small vial. As he glanced at it, his look of anger was calmed as he regained his composure, and analyzed what has currently happened in his head.

_Dorbickmon...I'm surprised you were able to achieve a power like that...but next time will be different. The darkness energy I've collected from you has already set my next plan in motion. I'll stay hidden until it is ready...and when it is...you'll pay...as your life will be taken by thine own hand! _he thought to himself as he laughed evilly.

We arrived at Dorbickmon's home, where OmegaShoutmon laid him back against one of the castle walls.

"Come...let him rest..." OmegaShoutmon told us.

"Right..." I muttered. We left him there and went back to Shoutmon's Castle, where Shoutmon promptly asked to meet with me alone at night. We walked through the courtyard as we began to converse.

"You alright...?" he asked.

"Yeah..."

"What did he do to you..?" the king crossed his arms. It seemed that no matter how much effort was put into remembering what happened, everything after DarkKnightmon had locked me in that dungeon until seeing Dorbickmon about to kill OmegaShoutmon was blank.

"I remember being chained up in a dungeon, then he walked in...and the rest is a blur..."

"Oh..." he looked down.

"I remember him talking about some experiment...but I can't remember what it was..."

"...alright, get some rest, well check on Dorbickmon tomorrow..." he advised.

"Alright." I responded and walked away. After he was alone, he merely looked down, concerned.

"Carlos...little did you know...your eyes..."

He quickly nodded in disbelief, getting rid of the thought of what he saw.

"N-no! It must have been my imagination! There is no way..."

He walked towards the castle, and headed to his room up the castle stairs.

"But that won't stop me from checking to see if there is something wrong..." he uttered one last time before disappearing into the corridor's darkness. The following morning we arrived at the entrance of the cave leading to Dorbickmons home to see Fanglongmon waiting for us.

"Fanglongmon...I'm glad your alive..." he heard me tell him. His gaze was fixed on me.

"...he wishes to see you, human..." he told us, "...alone..."

I turned back to Shoutmon, who nodded slowly. He must think it isn't some sort of trap.

"Be careful..." he advised.

"I will..."

He and Gumdramon stayed behind while Fanglongmon escorted me through the cave and into the valley. Walking through the forest we arrived at a small lake hidden deep inside the many bushes and trees the valley contained. The lake glittered with the reflection of the sun, and on the left was where it shrunk back into a river which led to Dragon Falls. Dorbickmon was waiting there, overlooking the lake.

"...you wanted to see me...?" I asked him, hoping that it wouldn't cause me to regret my words. He turned around to look at me and Fanglongmon.

"You...kid..." he muttered. It was the first time he didn't call me a brat, and his voice wasn't filled with anger and hate. "You foolishly risked your life for mine...why...?"

There was a moment of silence between us, and he heard me respond, "Partly because we're partners, but the other part...is because of you..."

"Me...?" he was confused by my answer.

"Yeah...you see...I haven't been here for a week, but I saw how happy the digimon of this world are...but you...your life is horrible...it's worse than theirs...I saw how they treat you...even if you did commit all those crimes...it's unfair that you don't get a second chance...I wish to rectify that by helping you achieve a chance of a better life..."

He stayed silent, looking back to the lake. My answer must have offended him, and we were about to leave him alone when he responded.

"...you told me you wish to prove your worth..." he didn't look back at us.

"I do...if you give me a chance..."

He glanced at me, and after a while turned to Fanglongmon, who nodded and walked out. He returned a few minutes later, and on his back was an egg. He placed it down in front of me and walked back.

"It's..."

"...A Digi-Egg..." Dorbickmon interrupted me. I looked up at him, and then back to the Digi-Egg, which to my surprise, started moving. It gave off a bright flash of light, and when it faded, what was once the egg was now a small round blue Digimon with black eyes. It resembled a sort of slime. The digimon glanced up at me, and happily jumped in my arms.

"Hey little guy..."

"Ten days..." Dorbickmon told me. We looked up at him.

"Ten days from now, you report back here... and I'll give you your first test..."

"Alright..."

"...Now go." he ordered. I walked out with the digimon. Fanglongmon turned towards Dorbickmon, half surprised but with a stern face.

"...don't think too much of this..." Dorbickmon told him, "He will never be my partner, nor anything close to that...this is purely for power...and nothing else..."

Upon hearing this, Fanglongmon looked down, "...yes master..."

Exiting the valley, I ran back towards Shoutmon and Gumdramon. They were still waiting by the entrance.

"How'd it go?" Shoutmon asked.

"He's giving me a chance to prove myself!"

"H-he is?!" the astonished king exclaimed.

"Yeah, and look!" I showed them the small blue digimon Dorbickmon gave me.

"It's a Chibomon!" Gumdramon exclaimed.

"He gave you that?" Shoutmon asked again.

"Yeah, and he told me I have ten days until my first test."

"I see..." the king crossed his arms. He felt suspicion inside his gut since he knew Dorbickmon's personality.

"Well then, what's say we go back to the castle and rest up?" Gumdramon asked.

"Alright!"

Both of them digivolved, and OmegaShoutmon placed me and Chibomon on his shoulder. They took to the skies and made a course for the castle. As we made our way back there, I glanced down to see Fanglongmon running across the land. Upon my request, OmegaShoutmon flew down to him.

"Fanglongmon!" he heard me exclaim. The yellow dragon looked over.

"It's you..."

"Where are you running off to...?" OmegaShoutmon asked.

"My debt to my master has been repaid...I'm off to search the Seven Kingdoms for my own desires..." he responded.

"...will we ever see you again...? Arresterdramon asked him.

"In due time..." he responded.

"I see...well I just wanted to thank you, I know you had some influence on Dorbickmon..." I told him.

He gave me a slight smile, "...may your examination go well..."

"...goodbye for now, Fanglongmon..."

With that, we parted ways. He headed towards Vampire Land and we soared off to Shoutmon's Castle.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Crossing A Flare**

The following morning, and every morning after that, Shoutmon called me into his throne room. His reasoning for this was that he wanted a friend of his to examine for any abnormalities. It was still confusing though, but nevertheless, better safe than sorry. After six days though, it was starting to get a bit tedious.

"Shoutmon, must you do this every day.,.?" I asked him.

"Yes, it's for your own safety." he responded. This was the seventh time in the week he called me for an examination. A week has passed since the incident, and he's been asking for this more and more.

"You saw the last six results, there is nothing wrong with me..."

"I want to make sure that's true!" he insisted as Wisemon examined my body for any signs of illness. He wore a yellow cloak over his head, so I couldn't see his face, as well as a maroon red rob, and black boots with a yellow line design to them. He wore gold rings around his wrists, as he hovered a red orb and a yellow orb, both of which had two smaller blue atoms orbiting around them, over me as he continued the check-up. Despite his face being covered by the hood of the cloak, we could still see his yellow eyes. Outside of his robe he had a black belt around his waist.

"He is stable..." he told Shoutmon as he finished the examination. Grabbing my sweater and putting it back on, my gaze turned to Shoutmon.

"I feel fine Shoutmon, there's no need to worry..." I told him. He stayed silent and looked out the window.

"So...where's Gumdramon?"

"He's having another match with Gokuwmon" he told me before allowing me to go back to my room. Wisemon glanced at him.

"...he seems to be alright, why do you worry Shoutmon...?" the digimon asked.

"...I worry because of what I saw that day we saved him from DarkKnightmon..." he sighed under his breath.

"...what did you see...?" Wisemon asked. The king replayed what happened in his mind before answering.

"...his eyes...for a short moment...they looked like Dorbickmon's..." Shoutmon responded. Wisemon's face widened with shock.

"I see..."

"...please analyze whatever you collected carefully Wisemon. I don't know what DarkKnightmon did to him...but I have a bad feeling about it..." the king advised.

"I will Shoutmon..." the digimon responded. On that note, Wisemon walked out, leaving Shoutmon alone.

"...Taiki...I don't know what to do..."

I walked toward the balcony of my room to see that Gumdramon and Gokuwmon's fight had already begun. From what it looked like, Gumdramon had stepped up the fight by digivolving to Arresterdramon.

"Mach Flicker!" he yelled. Arresterdramon assaulted Gokuwmon with a barrage of punches, which Gokuwmon blocked by spinning his bō at a lightning fast speed.

"Spin Caliper!" Arresterdramon followed up by hitting Gokuwmon with his tail, but Gokuwmon blocked it with his hand. Arresterdramon smirked as he wrapped his tail around Gokuwmons arm.

"What?!" the digimon's eyes widened with surprise. Arresterdramon slammed Gokuwmon onto the ground and threw him towards the castle wall. Gokuwmon flipped over and landed on the wall, hanging on to the ledge of a window. Arresterdramon chased after him and attacked with Prism Garret, but Gokuwmon avoided it. The dragon didn't stop there as he used the castle walls to jump towards Gokuwmon and hit him with Mach Flicker. The monkey grunted in pain, but managed to flip himself over and land on his feet,

"Not bad...you've managed to improve." he told him. Arresterdramon smirked at the comment.

"But don't forget, mere strength isn't enough to win..." Gokuwmon added. He rushed at Arresterdramon, who charged at him as well. Arresterdramon threw a punch at Gokuwmon. He dodged to his left and with his fist, hit Arresterdramon in the side of the leg. They slid to slow down their speed, ending up on opposite corners of the field. All seemed normal until Arresterdramon kneel down in pain.

"My leg...I can't feel it...!" he muttered. It wasn't hard to figure out what Gokuwmon did with his punch.

"I see what he did...Gokuwmon hit him on the nerve...the force caused it to interrupt the signals it sends to Arresterdramon's brain, thereby numbing his leg..."

"You must also know your opponents weak spots..." Gokuwmon told him, as he charged again. Arresterdramon took to the skies, but Gokuwmon jumped up, and using his speed, ran up the side of the wall, used it to jump off and hit Arresterdramon in the back of his left shoulder the same way.

"Guh...!" Arresterdramon grunted in pain, as he slowly descended to the ground, "I can't feel...the left side of my body...!"

"If I remember correctly, there are five other spots that, if hit in the same way, can knock down even the mightiest of foes..." I muttered, trying to figure out the other five locations in the body.

"You might have improved in speed and power..." Gokuwmon told Arresterdramon, "but you lack the acuity of mind..."

He walked off as Arresterdramon struggled to stand, he dragged his body over to a tree near the castle wall, and sat down against it.

"Hm..."

A few minutes later, Arresterdramon saw me walk out to the courtyard and sit next to him.

"Hey..." he heard me mutter. Arresterdramon looked away.

"...hi." the drake sighed.

"I saw your battle...you've improved..."

"I still couldn't put up a decent fight..." he muttered.

"...but you're getting better, isn't that why you're training with him?" I asked him. He simply nodded as he looked down.

"I know, but...every time it seems he's more and more disappointed." Arresterdramon pointed out, as he degenerated back into Gumdramon.

"Yeah, but I think it's just to make you work harder."

"Maybe...but..." his response was interrupted when he saw me glance over to the castle gates. Two people had walked inside that never caught my eye before.

"Hey...who are those two...?"

Gumdramon glanced over and upon seeing them, his face lit up with happiness.

"Tagiru!" he exclaimed as he rushed towards one of the two boys, who upon seeing Gumdramon, ran towards him as well.

"Gumdramon!" the boy exclaimed as they both exchanged a hug.

"I missed you Tagiru!" Gumdramon exclaimed.

"So have I Gumdramon!" Tagiru responded. Tagiru wore blue sneakers, which matched his blue shirt and wristbands, both of which had a yellow star on them and an extra moon symbol on the shirt, which was also adorned with a symbol of the sun on his left shoulder. His shorts were white and his hair was light brown with a tuft of red near the center, and was styled to be spiked up like a flame. He wore blue goggles with amber lenses on his head, and he had amber colored eyes. The boy next to him wore red and gray sneakers, gray shorts and a red shirt that was white on the right side, and it adorned the symbol of a crown on his left side. He wore wristbands which were blue and red with a sawtooth wave designed to it. Like Tagiru, the boy wore green goggles with cyan lenses. His hair was spiked outward and his eyes were gray. Tagiru looked three years younger than myself, while the other boy looked to be about two years younger.

"So if that's Tagiru...then the other must be..."

"Taiki!" the voice of Shoutmon exclaim. The king walked out of the castle.

"Shoutmon!" Taiki exclaimed. Both of them walked up to each other and bumped fists.

"So that's the boy of legend huh...?" I muttered. He was the legendary human general who formed Xros Heart with Shoutmon and saved the Digital World from the Bagra Empire. Taiki looked over and spotted me.

"Uh-oh..."

While he turned to Shoutmon, it gave me a chance to stand up and hide behind the castle wall.

"Who's that?" he asked Shoutmon, who looked over at the tree and saw nothing.

"I don't see anyone..." Shoutmon responded as Taiki looked over again. The boy was nearly surprised and wiped his eyes.

"I could've sworn I saw another human sitting there..." Taiki muttered. They all walked into the castle.

"Phew...that was close."

As much as it would've been nice to introduce myself, at the moment there was no plan of how to avoid mentioning Dorbickmon's name. Taiki could easily spot my Xros Loader and ask me who my partner digimon was. Then what would he expect me to tell him? _Hi my name's Carlos and my partner tried to kill you and your friends in the war?_

"I'm gonna have to think about how to approach this..."

While they were busy talking in the foyer, it allowed me to sneak back into my room without being spotted. Closing the door and sitting down on the bed, a bad headache hit me.

"Ugh...my head..." I rummaged through the cupboards, trying to find an aspirin to get rid of the pain, "Come on..."

There was a knock on the door, "Hey Carlos, you there?" It sounded like Shoutmon's voice.

"Just a minute!" he heard me reply. Unfortunately there was no aspirin for me in the cupboards to cool down the pain. Trotting over to the door, it was opened for Shoutmon to walk in.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Depends, if you're here for another check-up I'm gonna lock us in here..."

"Ha-ha...very funny..." he crossed his arms, "I'm not here for that..."

"Oh?"

"How long has it been since you arrived at the Digital World?" he asked.

"Two weeks, but after all that's happened it might as well be two months..." I responded. He paused for a moment.

"...I think it's time..." he muttered.

"Time for what?"

"...for you to meet Taiki, Tagiru and Kiriha" he responded. There was a slight pause; meeting Tagiru and Taiki wouldn't be a problem, but meeting Kiriha? We wouldn't see eye to eye, especially if Dorbickmon is mentioned.

"...you sure that's a good idea?"

"I'm hoping it goes well..." he responded. If we were to get into an argument, then it could turn into a scene. But part of me also didn't want to disappoint Shoutmon.

"...alright, I'll give it a shot."

"Thank you...meet me in the throne room at night." he told me and walked off.

While waiting in the room, the dark of night enshrouded the sky a few hours later and as Shoutmon wanted, we met inside the throne room.

"How do you feel?" he asked me.

"A bit nervous..."

"You'll do fine..." he reassured. We walked down to the courtyard, where Tagiru was with Gumdramon. Taiki was waiting for us as well next to the two.

"I'm back." Shoutmon told them.

"Another human?" Tagiru raised an eyebrow. He turned towards Taiki, who walked up to me.

"You're the kid I saw sitting against a tree in the morning..." Taiki pointed out.

"...yeah."

"Taiki, Tagiru, this is Carlos, he arrived here two weeks ago." Shoutmon introduced me.

"So Digi-gates are still opening in the human world..." Taiki muttered. I kept quiet as he looked at me, extending a hand.

"My name's Kudou Taiki, it's nice to meet you." he introduced himself.

"...likewise" we both shook hands.

"That over there is my friend." he told me as Tagiru approached me.

"Akashi Tagiru, pleased to meet you." Tagiru introduced himself.

"You too."

"So, where's Kiriha?" Shoutmon asked Taiki.

"He should be arriving soon." the goggle-head responded. His response was spot on. A few minutes later we heard the sound of what sounded like a jet heading our way. The sound came from a fully mechanized raptor digimon whose wings were composed of white and blue metal, and had six engines on the back with his armor was white and blue, with a cannon on his chest. His tail resembled a huge blue hand with red claws on the tip. On his back was a blue helmet with a red spike and eye visor. He had a long white neck and his head had a blue horn on his forehead and two white spikes on the sides of his lower jaw. He wielded two missile ports on his legs with three missiles inside and razor-sharp steel talons. He looked at us with his yellow eyes.

"MailBirdramon!" Gumdramon exclaimed. The raptor landed on the ground, and on its back, a boy jumped off of him onto the ground. His hair was blonde, and he let it grow out to some point, since it nearly covers his ears. He had blue eyes, a darker blue shirt along with black pants and shoes made up the rest of his outfit. He looked about a year younger than I was. Taiki ran over to them.

"It's good to see you again." Taiki told the boy.

"It's been a while, Taiki." he responded.

"And that's Kiriha." Shoutmon told me. The blond haired boy walked up to us.

"Hello, Kiriha" the king told him.

"It's been a long time since we last met, Shoutmon." he responded. He looked over at me in slight surprise, "Who are you?"

"This is Carlos, he was transported here not too long ago." Shoutmon responded. I watched as he looked at me, then fixed his gaze on my Xros Loader.

"A Xros Loader..." he muttered, then asked, "Where's your partner digimon..?"

"...he's resting." I responded, assuming that's what Dorbickmon was doing. We hadn't seen each other in the week.

"I see...why isn't he in your Xros Loader...?"

"He doesn't exactly like me as his partner yet..."

Kiriha raised an eyebrow in suspicion, "...who is your partner digimon...?"

"...I'd tell you, but you and him don't see eye to eye..."

"What...?" he stood there, thinking. He put all the clues together, and it didn't take him long to figure it out. His eyes widened in surprise.

"No way..." he muttered, "Your partner's Dorbickmon?!"

Taiki and Tagiru looked over in surprise. Kiriha's dark blue Xros Loader emitted a bright light and in front of me towered a cobalt blue digimon resembling a tyrannosaurus. He had orange stripes running down the back of his body and three on his legs. He wielded a steel cannon on the tip of his tail, which had the edge of a blade under the cannon. His head hardened into a steel helmet which had three horns on it. One was on its snout, which was a lighter gray color and resembled the tip of a blade, and two on the sides of his head which had three red strips on them. The digimon had three claws on his hands and feet which were dark blue, as well as three spikes protruding out of the top of his knees which were the same color as his skin. He had a bit of muscle developed on his chest, as it tilted its head down. It glared at me with his red eyes, baring its teeth and growling.

"What is he up to?! What's he planning?!" Kiriha interrogated me.

"He isn't up to anything!" I retorted, angry at Kiriha for quickly jumping to conclusions.

"Listen to me, you've got to stay away from him! There's no telling what he's planning to do to you..." he warned me. These accusations angered me.

"He isn't scheming anything!"

"You don't know that! He could be using you!" Kiriha exclaimed.

"He isn't using me!" they heard me yell. My body felt like it was coursing with anger.

"Dorbickmon's a tyrant...he'll use you and toss you away like trash, just like he's done before with his own army!" he argued, which caused me to snap..

"If Dorbickmon wanted to get rid of me, he would have succeeded already! Stop acting like you know everything about him, because you don't! And last I recall, you started out the exact same way! You abused digimon just like him, and you even went so far as to double crossing your own friends! If you ask me it sounds like you've done more harm than he has!"

They all stood there in silence, looking at me.

"Don't judge Dorbickmon, or anyone if you've done something similar..." I growled, and stormed off, heading towards the castle gates. They all watched me leave.

"That kid..." Kiriha muttered.

While exiting the castle's main gate, Shoutmon caught up to me.

"Wait!" he called out to me. He grabbed my arm.

"I'm sorry Shoutmon, but I can't stand by while Kiriha casts judgment. We both knew he wouldn't agree with me about Dorbickmon, but it angers me that he'd accuse him of being the evil tyrant that he used to be! We both know that isn't true!"

He looked down, "I know, but..."

As he talked, my headache returned with twice the pain than before. Placing my arm on my head, he noticed me in pain.

"Hey, you alright?!" he asked.

"I'm fine...!"

"Please, at least stay in the castle for the night..." he advised.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. If he doesn't agree with Dorbickmon being my partner, then from now until we settle this, we are rivals..." I told Shoutmon before storming off, heading for the forest trail that leads back to Dragon Land.

"Carlos..." he watched me leave. Walking through the dark trail, my headache only got worse. It felt like someone was drilling into my skull.

"Urgh...! Stupid headache...!"

Sitting down against a tree, the pain only got worse, and my vision starting to blur. The pain was making me feel lightheaded.

"Damn...I...won't make it..." I muttered, slowly losing consciousness.

"Dor...bick...mon..." was the last thing in my mind before passing out.

* * *

Dawn rose over the horizon of the Digital World. Two digimon resembling goblins were walking along the forest trail. They had red hair in a style similar to a mohawk, and wore a brown shirt with a matching brown loincloth attached to their same colored shorts by a belt. They had green skin and pointy ears, along with red eyes. Both of them seemed to have been traveling together, and were very frustrated by the looks of it.

"Lost again! I told you we should have asked for directions!" one of them scolded.

"Well you should have told me that BEFORE we were ten miles away from town!" the other retorted, bonking his brother on the head with his wooden club.

"Ow! You're gonna pay for that!" the other growled. The two started beating each other up, hitting each other with their clubs and insulting one another.

"You're the biggest idiot I've ever met in my life! I can't believe I allow myself to be seen with you!" one of them yelled.

"Yeah?! Well-" one of them looked over to a nearby tree. "Huh...?"

"What are you looking at?!" the other yelled, looking over.

"Hey, who's that?" they both walked over, and examined the being.

"Looks like a human..." the other responded. Both of them hatched an idea.

"I bet he's got loads of valuables!" one of them exclaimed. Both started pickpocketing for anything they could find.

"Hey, look!" one of them exclaimed, "A Xros Loader!"

"Woah! You know how much that can sell for?!" the other exclaimed.

"Damn right I do! It just became a lucky day for the Goburimon Brothers!" the former exclaimed. As they rejoiced in splendor of their lucky find, the sky darkened.

"Hey! Who turned off the sun?!" one exclaimed as they looked up. They noticed what looked like a digimon hovering in front of the sun.

"Looks like a digimon..." the other responded. As they stood there, they noticed it getting closer, and growing spontaneously.

"And a big one!" his brother exclaimed as they cowered in fear of the digimon's enormous size.

"Let's get out of here!" the other yelled. Both fled in terror, dropping the Xros Loader on the ground. The digimon landed, and upon looking around, spotted the Xros Loader.

"Hm?" he picked it up, and examined the dark red device. When he spotted the emblem of fire on the circular button, he looked over at the boy.

"This must be him...the human I've been told to look for..." the digimon muttered.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Dragon Emperor's Tale: A Gruesome Nightmare**

"Ugh..." I opened my eyes slowly, not being able to remember what happened after passing out. "Where...am I...?"

Glancing around to get a view of my surroundings, it was a huge cave. It took a few moments to notice the huge bed under me. It had a huge red blanket. There was a pathway to my left, and curiosity got the best of me. Following the trail, in front of me was a stand with holograms that portrayed the entire Digital World in the center of the trail.

"Woah..."

Whoever brought me here has a complete view of every action that can occur in the Digital World, as well as being a very huge digimon. The sight of all this was intimidating, since there's no way of fighting back something that was unknown. Running along the trail, the exit was no where in sight, which was a problem. If I were to get caught, it might be the end for me, and nothing in my mind wanted to know what would happen in between that moment.

"Come on..."

Picking up speed, a bright ray of light eventually came into view as the exit appeared right in front of me.

"There it is!"

Just before being able to escape the cave, a colossal Digimon landed in front of me. Sliding to a halt, my momentum caused me to bump into its leg. It glanced down at me with its eyes, with a look that was everything but happy. He was a gargantuan red dragon with a white underbelly that was covered from the stomach up in steel plated armor, which had four red eyes near the chest plate. He had horns protruding out of his snout and from the back of his head. They were silver, but from the halfway point up they were gold and adorned with two red jewels on the top. He had two gold diamonds hanging from the tips of the horns on his head like earrings. The drake's claws were white and clad in gold on the fingertips. Scars ran down his emerald-green eyes. He boasted steel spikes on his shoulders and smaller red wings on his forearms, which had golden spikes near the tips. On his legs were two red jewels adorned onto the side of his thighs. What astonished me though, was the size of his wings. The wing span alone could cover his entire body. They were red on the inside, but plated with steel on the outside. Near the top it was plated with gold and had two other red jewels adorned onto the spike. The drake wielded a huge black lance with a port for ammunition to be inserted into it. By the looks of it, the lance could specialize in long-range attacks as well as sword combat. His tail alone could crush me with its huge length, which was adorned with two golden spikes on the tips. I backed away slowly, but he stepped forward.

"Calm yourself...I'm not here to hurt you..." he muttered, but there was still a sense of suspicion inside me.

"...how do I know you're not lying...?"

"Because...I'm the one who saved you..." he responded, putting his lance to the side.

"You...saved me..?"

"Yes, when I found you, you were about to be robbed by some Goburimon..." he explained, walking over to the hologram of the Digital World.

"I see..."

"...I was also the one who gave you your Xros Loader..." he added, taking me by surprise.

"W...who are you...?" he heard me ask him, hoping he wouldn't get angry by that question.

"...my name...is Examon..." he replied. My eyes widened with astonishment.

"E-Examon?! The Emperor of all Dragons and Royal Knight?!"

Shoutmon had told me about him, as well as about Omegamon, who were trapped in a DigiMemory during the Bagra Army's reign.

"That's correct..." he responded, "Two nights ago, I was told in a dream you'd be in danger, so I came to your aid."

"I see..."

"Here..." he handed me some fruit, most of them being apples and some DigiNoir. "Eat up."

"Thank you, Examon." I responded, sitting down to eat. The fruit was fresh and ripe, giving off a tangy taste when it entered my mouth.

"...you got into an argument with Kiriha, did you not?" Examon asked.

"...yeah..."

Finishing my fruit and standing up, that headache from before had come back, only it was much more painful.

"Ugh..."

"...have you suffered from these headaches for the past week?" he asked. It was astonishing that he knew about it.

"Yes...how'd you know...?"

"Ever since your encounter with DarkKnightmon. I have been observing you..." he explained. Examon put his hand on my head, and it started to emanate a red aura. To my surprise, a warm energy course through my body, and when he removed his hand, my headache had gone away.

"W-What did you do...?"

"I inserted a part of my data into you..." he responded.

"You did? But I'm human..."

"It's true, you are human, but when you traveled here through the Digital Gate, a small fragment of you was turned into data. It allows you to travel between the two worlds without complication." the dragon explained.

"I see..."

There was a moment of silence between us, and after a while of thinking, there was one thing in my mind that he would probably have the answer to.

"Examon...?"

"Hm?" he tilted his head in confusion.

"...what happened to the other Royal Knights?" I asked him. He looked at me with slight sorrow, hidden under a serious expression. It looked like this was serious subject to talk about with him.

"...they are no longer with us anymore..." he solemnly responded, looking down at the ground.

"...what happened...?"

"...it's a long tale..."

"Please tell me...I'd like to know..."

He looked at me, and after a moment of pause, sat down and started to tell the tale.

_ It was over a thousand years ago. The Digital World was in a state of pure chaos. War, natural disasters, and many other kinds of destruction ravaged the land. It was on the brink of destruction until ten Digimon: Alphamon, Omegamon, Magnamon, Dukemon, UlforceVeedramon, Dynasmon, LoadKnightmon, Craniamon, Duftmon and Sleipmon rose up, and with their combined forces ended the reign of chaos, bringing peace to the Digital World. All was prosperous for years, but that prosperity didn't last...A Digimon of unimaginable size and power rose up, and started to annihilate everything in its path. The ten Digimon, who were given the title Royal Knights, went to stop it. The battle decimated the entire Digital World, and they themselves were unable to destroy the beast completely. So with their combined forces, they used every bit of their energy to seal away the behemoth in the inner depths of a place which became to be known as Hell's Field. Every knight except Omegamon died in that battle. He lived to tell the tale...From there, he began a new group of Digimon that were to achieve that same goal of peace..._

"...and those were the fifteen Digimon that were turned into DigiMemories, right?"

"Correct..." he responded.

"...what about you...?"

"I was nothing more than a mere bit of data when the incident happened...it wasn't until centuries later, that he found me, trained me and made me a Royal Knight, as well as part of that group of fifteen Digimon..." Examon explained

"I see...is he the same Omegamon that gave Taiki his Xros Loader?"

"Yes...he was also my mentor..." the dragon added.

" ...where is he now...?" I muttered, hoping it wouldn't upset him if asked. He clenched his fist slowly.

"...after the battle with DarknessBagramon, he passed away a few months later, giving the last of his energy to Shoutmon so he could maintain peace in his new world." he responded. It was easy to tell by the look in his eyes that he was still saddened about Omegamon's parting.

"...I'm sorry for your loss..."

"...it was he who told me about you in my dream..." Examon added. It was noticeable how much he cared about Omegamon, and that it was difficult for him to tell me about what happened.

"...thank you for telling me, Examon..." he saw me walk up and exchange a hug. He stayed in silence and glanced down.

"So is this your home?" we changed the subject.

"Yes..." he responded. Walking outside the cave, there was a huge forest as far as the eye could see. It was lush and teeming with life.

"I wish I could get an overhead view.." I muttered. To my surprise, Examon picked me up in his hand.

"Hm?"

He flapped his wings and took to the skies, and what was before my eyes was an astonishing sight.

"Wow!"

The entire home was a floating island hovering high over the Digital Sky. The forest covered the bottom left corner of the island, where the cave Examon lived in was. On the other side there was a huge mountain range. The most prominent mountain had the head of a dragon. There was also a waterfall flowing through it, which came from the river that cut across the open plain that was next to it. It was like a small version of Dragon Land.

"This place is beautiful Examon!"

He soared across the sky at a blinding speed. We passed a few of the other islands that were part of the group of islands that gregariously moved around with Examon's in the center. The sight of how the islands traveled as if they were bound together by the Digital Sky was amazing. He landed on a few islands, and explained what was special about each of them. One had a cave containing a crystal that could restore one's memories, as well as another island that's a special training ground. We traveled across the entire Digital Sky, and the sight of how big the Digital World was, how high the mountains towered over the land, and how the glistening sea of Gold Land radiated up here was amazing.

As the voyage came to an end, he headed towards Dragon Land. Upon arrival, I peeked down to see OmegaShoutmon, and by the looks of it, it appeared to look like he was searching for me.

"Examon."

Pointing down to OmegaShoutmon, he noticed the king. Examon glanced at me, nodded and descended downward.

"Where is he..." OmegaShoutmon looked around.

"Hey! OmegaShoutmon!" he heard me call out to him. He turned around to see Examon land in front of him, and spotted me.

"Carlos! Where have you been?! We've been looking all over for you!" he exclaimed. Before responding, Examon motioned with his hand to stay silent and he took over the conversation.

"Worry not, he has been with me the entire time..." the dragon explained.

"Examon...I haven't seen you since we freed you from the DigiMemories..." OmegaShoutmon muttered.

"It has been a long time...Shoutmon..." Examon glanced at me.

" ...I'm sorry for what happened to Omegamon..." he muttered.

"...as the oldest living Royal Knight, he knew when his time would come...but one day, he and the other knights will be reborn...it's just a matter of when..."

"Examon..." OmegaShoutmon watched as Examon placed me on the ground.

"I must go...I will be observing your behavior from now on..." the dragon explained.

"Ok..."

"Here...this is from me..."

Opening his palm, he kneeled down, and carefully wrapped something around my neck. I glanced down, seeing a red diamond held around my neck by a thick string.

"This diamond will help control your headaches...as well as many other pains that you could experience." he told me as I held the object in my hand.

"Thank you...Examon..."

Walking up to him, we exchanged a hug. He simply put his around me, and when we let go, he took to the skies. We watched as he soared off into the distance.

"...come on, let's go back to the castle..." OmegaShoutmon muttered, causing me to look back at him.

"...but...Kiriha..."

"Don't worry, he's in Bright Land for a few days keeping order." OmegaShoutmon added.

"Alright..."

He put me on his shoulder and soared off to his castle, leaving the usual guest room open for me.

Before going to sleep that night, the jewel Examon gave me was placed on the desk next to me. Sometime before sunrise however, something horrid stirred in my mind

"Grrhh...!"

Moving around frantically in bed, trying to go back to sleep, this image kept replaying in my mind. It was doused in red as the sound of a sword cutting through someone's flesh kept repeating itself. But it was the voice of that someone screaming that woke me up.

"Gah!" it caused me to jolt awake, shaking my head to forget what I just saw.

"Was that...Dorbickmon...?!"

That scream was no doubt his, but why would a nightmare like that even appear in my head? I got up and headed out to walk around the courtyard. Sometime later, Shoutmon found me sitting near the castle wall.

"What's wrong?" he asked me.

"I...had a gruesome nightmare..."

"What was it about..?" he asked again. I tried my best to explain what the nightmare was. He was astonished by my description.

"So you don't remember exactly what happened, but from what you saw it looked like someone was torturing Dorbickmon?" he asked for assurances.

"Yes..." he saw me nod. Shoutmon looked over to the castle.

"How about we get Wisemon to examine you again? Maybe he can figure it out..." he offered. At first, he saw me nod against the idea, but Wisemon did have a vast amount of knowledge. If there was anyone who could figure it out, he was one of the best choices.

"Alright..."

We walked back in and attempted to use any remaining time before sunrise to sleep. The following morning we had Wisemon examine me again, showing the same results.

"His body appears to be stable..." he told us.

"Yeah...um...Wisemon..?"

He turned to me, "What is it?"

I explained to him the nightmare from before, and he pondered the incident in his mind.

"Hmm...that is abnormal to have such a nightmare..."

He put his hand on my head. It started emitting a light as it felt like he was reading my mind.

"...interesting...at the moment you were experiencing that nightmare...the data inside you was highly active near you cerebellum..."

"I see..." he took his hand away, "Do you think you can replay the nightmare...?"

"I can...but from what I just collected, it's more horrid than what you witnessed...do you still wish to see it...?" he asked me. There was a moment of pause before he was given an answer.

"Yes..."

"Very well..." he nodded. The huge brown book he had opened up, scrolling through page after page until it stopped near the middle. The two orbs floating around Wisemon hovered over to the center of the book. They emitted a bright light as a hologram appeared. It started projecting the nightmare. A barren wasteland came into view, with dead trees and bones of what looked like other digimon, all illuminated by a blood red sky. At first Shoutmon was doubtful, but he looked in astonishment.

"Is that...Hell's Field?!"

"It seems it is, newly rebuilt after what's happened in the past few years..." Wisemon responded. As we watched the faint sound of a digimon screaming is heard.

"...that's Dorbickmon..."

My guess was right, as he came into view, tied in chains and being slashed at with a sword. Our eyes widened with shock at what we saw was happening to him. He was being tortured by a digimon who hid its identity beneath a cloak. The experience was gruesome.

"I can't see who that is..." Shoutmon muttered. We watched as the torture continued until it all faded to black, signaling the end of the nightmare.

"It's over..." Wisemon muttered. I turned to Shoutmon.

"Please...take me back to Dorbickmon's home..."

After all that, it only gave me another reason to go back and see him. Shoutmon looked at me, and noting the expression on my face, nodded.

"Ok..."

We traveled back to Dragon Land, landing in front of the huge door that leads into Dorbickmon's Castle. He opened the door, and we walked inside. As we strolled through the corridor, I looked around. It was huge, but also empty. Each room was made of a pale citrine color. There were very few things Dorbickmon had, and as we passed each room, it was all the same. Nothing was inside them except for the tubes filled with lava near the top that circulated throughout the entire castle's interior, providing light and warmth inside. We arrived in what would be considered the foyer, and Dorbickmon was waiting.

"You're early..." he muttered. I simply walked over to him and waved goodbye at OmegaShoutmon, who nodded and left. Dorbickmon led me to a room deeper in the castle. We went up some stairs to the third floor and passed two huge doors that lead into what looks like his room. We stopped at a room a few yards away, and was a bit smaller than the rest. It had a bed and a small stone balcony leading to an opening to look outside.

"Your first test begins tomorrow..." he warned, and walked away. I spent the rest of the day sitting there, trying to figure out what the nightmare meant. The only thing to go on was that it was in the past, since Dorbickmon is no longer in Hell's Field. Every once in a while, a stroll around the castle helped clear my mind, as well as getting a glimpse of the other rooms. There was a kitchen, which was only a huge fireplace to be used for cooking over an open flame, and many other guest rooms that were deserted. Shoutmon only came back once before night fall to give me some supplies. He himself was also thinking about what Wisemon show us. Most of the night passed without a minute of sleep. It was partly because I was worried that another nightmare like that could occur. No one deserved a fate like that in death. Dorbickmon might have been evil and cruel, but he was only obeying what Bagramon and DarkKnightmon ordered him to do. The same applied for the other Death Generals. It wasn't until Chibomon, who was now a DemiVeemon, came out of my Xros Loader. He now resembled a small blue dragon with red eyes, and his face and underbelly was white, and had ears shaped like thunderbolts of the same blue scale color on his head. The small dragon noticed my troubles, and was saddened by it. However, he attempted to lighten the mood by changing the subject.

"Hey...please cheer up..." he muttered. I looked at him.

"DemiVeemon..."

"I don't like seeing you sad..." he walked up and hugged me.

"I'm sorry...it's just something has been bothering me..."

"...you shouldn't let it bother you now...aren't you excited that Dorbickmon's test begins tomorrow...?" he asked. For some reason, it made me give a slight smile.

"Yeah...that's right. After all, we got an early lead since Shoutmon helped you train last week, and because of it you evolved into your champion level." I responded. He sat on my shoulder and hugged me again. Thanks to him, the nightmare no longer bothered me.

"Thanks, DemiVeemon...I needed that."

We both laid down on the bed, while he snuggled up on the pillow next to me, and we both prepared ourselves to go to sleep. That is, until the ground shook violently.

"Woah!"

The ground stopped shaking, and soon after we started hearing a loud snorting noise. We snuck over and headed to the source, which sounded like it was near Dorbickmon's room. We peeked in to see if he was alright, only to find our answer.

"Well...we found the source..." I told DemiVeemon.

"...snnnrrrk..." Dorbickmon muttered as he turned in his sleep. The room was filled with the sound of his snoring, which was so loud it could be heard throughout some of the other rooms. DemiVeemon and myself couldn't help but laugh quietly because what we thought was an earthquake was simply the snorts and grunts of a sleeping Dorbickmon.

"Well, at least he's comfortably asleep in his room." I whispered. We walked back, grabbed our stuff, and went one floor down to another room father away. It was the center room of the second floor. The room was slightly bigger, but still had the same setup as the room Dorbickmon gave us. We could still hear him snoring, but it wasn't as loud. We could survive it as we went to sleep for the night.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: A New Friend, A New Partnership**

The next morning I walked into Dorbickmon's room. It was the biggest of all the rooms in this castle, held up by a few columns of stone. It was built of faint gray bricks, with a huge bed on the far right that had no blanket on it, and a table of stone next to it, all visible by a few torches that were lit. He was looking outside a castle window, deep in thought when he saw me walk up to him. He turned around, with the usual glare on his face.

"What's my first test?" I asked him. He stayed silent, keeping his glare on me.

"...prove you can bring out the power in a Digimon. Don't come back until the digimon from the egg has evolved into a Champion level." he replied with a serious tone.

"Ok."

Running out of the castle and out to the open plain that Shoutmon used to train DemiVeemon, the day was bright, with no wind. The open plain had a river cutting through it which connected all the way to Dragon Falls. There were a few trees scattered here and there, as well as a few bushes, but it was still more of an open plain.

"Reload, Veemon!"

Out of my Xros Loader appeared a blue dragon similar to DemiVeemon in appearance, but grew bigger. He was now up to my waist in size. His stubby arms were now more developed, now looking more like full arms with hands. His legs grew bigger and now had three claws on his toes, and tail grew and now had two blue scales on it. He retained his blue coloring with his mouth and midsection being white, and he had a yellow V on his forehead.

"Alright, Veemon, give it all you got!" I told him. He turned around and nodded.

"Veemon, Shinka!"

He was engulfed in a bright light, and he digivolved. When the light faded, he had grown in size, now towering over me. He still retained his blue and white scale pattern, as well as his red eyes. However his body became more muscular, shown by his arms legs, and chest. His face now resembled more of a dragon's, and he gained two small white spikes on both his upper and lower jaw, as well as a steel horn on the top of his snout. The spiky ears on the back of his head grew slightly, and he gained two blue spikes on his knuckles. He had silver dragon wings on his back, a long tail matching his blue scales, and he gained giant silver X mark on his chest and abdomen.

"Let's keep training and impress Dorbickmon even further!" I told him. He glanced at me and nodded. It was noticeable that he develops a more silent personality when he digivolves. ExVeemon trained vigorously, breaking rocks into pebbles and flying around to increase his speed. As the training went on, Shoutmon conversed with me through the repaired communicator he fixed about a way to make ExVeemon digivolve even further. He told me that in order to digivolve him further, ExVeemon would have to fuse with a Stingmon. That fact was discouraging, since it would be difficult to find a Stingmon who'd agree to fuse with ExVeemon by tomorrow. However, Shoutmon also added that we could achieve the same effect by fusing him with the data of a Stingmon, which he described as a DigiCore. After asking, he happily agreed to get some of that data for me. We continued the training regiment until the afternoon.

"Alright ExVeemon, that's all for today!" I told him. He glanced back at me and degenerated back into Veemon. He walked up soon after, and it was very noticeable how much he had gotten stronger.

"You've improved so much in the past few days." he heard me tell him. Veemon nodded as he was stored into my Xros Loader. At the same time Shoutmon had arrived and walked up to me.

"Hey..." he muttered, causing me to glance over.

"Hey..."

"I'm sorry...for what happened between you and Kiriha..." he apologized.

"Don't be. We both knew it would end that way due to what's happened in the past."

Shoutmon looked down, "Yeah..."

"Aside from that...anything new?"

"Yeah...Kind of..." the king muttered, crossing his arms as he sat down on a tree stump.

"What is it?"

"One of Kiriha's digimon, Dracomon, has been sneaking out every third day for the past month." he explained, "We've been searching for him."

"I see...where do you think he is...?"

A few seconds after saying that, we heard a splash in the river. Both of us glanced over to the river for a moment.

"What was that?!"

We sprinted over to see a digimon drowning in the rapid currents of the river. He was a small teal dragon, whose lower jaw and midsection were a faint shade of tan. He had red eyes, orange horns protruding out of his head and orange wings. The back of his head was spiked outward slightly, and his cheek had teeth shaped scales on them. He had three claws on each hand and foot, along with a small tail. His chest was slightly muscular. His appearance was recognized by Shoutmon almost immediately.

"That's Dracomon!" the king exclaimed. We looked over to see Dracomon was heading for the huge drop of the waterfall at the end of the river, which would eventually lead to Dragon Falls.

"Oh no..."

"He can't swim!" Shoutmon added. The king ran over to try and help him, and I grabbed my Xros Loader.

"Reload, Veemon!" he heard me call out. Veemon came out of the Xros Loader, as it started emitting a light.

"Veemon, Shinka!"

The digimon was engulfed in a burst of light as he digivolved into ExVeemon. Dracomon on the other hand, was starting to give in to the river's rapid waves as he sunk in, giving me very little time to think. Looking around, there was a big tree near the edge of the river, giving me an idea.

"ExVeemon, use that tree to create a blockage with those two rocks in the river so Dracomon doesn't fall off the waterfall!"

ExVeemon nodded as he ran over toward the river and crossed his arms in front of himself.

"V-Laser!" he roared. He separated his arms and shot out an orange energy beam from the X on his chest. It cut through the tree, which fell sideways and into the river. It lodged itself in between the two stones peeking themselves out of the river, blocking the harsh current as Dracomon was forced onto it. Shoutmon jumped over, pulled the unconscious dragon out of the water and brought him back towards us, quickly using CPR.

"Come on..."

Despite his very best, Dracomon wasn't responding, which wasn't good.

"It's not working..." I told him. Shoutmon stood there, and in one swift blow, punched Dracomon in the gut, squishing the dragon's stomach in. Dracomon in turn, reacted by jolting awake and coughing up the water he swallowed.

"Hey...you alright?" he heard me ask.

"Y-yeah..." he responded in between coughs. We gave him a few minutes of breathing room, walking him over to the tree stump. Soon after though, Shoutmon scolded him.

"Dracomon, where have you been?! We've been looking all over for you!" the king exclaimed.

"I...I don't know..." Dracomon muttered. Shoutmon knew more than Dracomon thought.

"You're lying..." he told him, "Dracomon, this isn't the first time you've snuck out of Kiriha's Xros Loader. You've done it every third day for the past month. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing." Dracomon responded. The look in his eyes told us otherwise.

"You're lying again..." Shoutmon muttered. He noticed Dracomon was wearing something around his neck. It was a green gem held around his neck in the shape of a diamond.

"Where did you get that pendant?" the king asked.

"P-pendant?!" Dracomon hid the necklace in his hands.

"The one hanging from your neck that you just hid from us..." Shoutmon added.

"Oh...I found it..."

"Where did you find it?" Shoutmon asked, asserting himself on the teal dragon as his face turned serious. Dracomon stammered, as a drop of sweat ran down the side of his head.

"I..."

"Hey! Dracomon!" we heard a voice shout, interrupting the small dragon. Dracomon looked over in surprise as we saw another human running over to us.

"Who's that...?" I asked Shoutmon.

"I don't know...I've never seen him before..." Shoutmon responded.

"Are you alright, Dracomon?" he asked the teal dragon, who stayed silent.

"How is he...?" he asked me.

"He's fine...who are you?"

"Oh, right, sorry. The name's Rob." he replied. Rob was about six feet tall, had short flat hair that was colored black and spiked slightly outward. His skin was slightly dark, and he wore an orange sweater with dark blue jeans. His appearance made him out to be about twenty years old, almost twenty one.

"So...how'd you two meet...?" we asked him.

"I ran into him not too long after I was sent here." he responded.

"And he's been sneaking out to see you ever since?" Shoutmon asked.

"Sneaking out?" Rob raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes." Shoutmon nodded, "You see, Dracomon already has a human partner..."

"Oh...I didn't know..." Rob told us.

"It's better you didn't know him..." I muttered.

"Who?" he asked.

"Aonuma Kiriha." he hear me under my breath. My mind flashed back to the argument the two of us had about Dorbickmon for a mere second, before changing the subject.

"Forget about him though...the name's Carlos. And that's Shoutmon, the King of the Digital World."

"It's nice to meet you!" Rob smiled, "And it's an honor to meet the King of the Digital World!"

"That over there is ExVeemon. He's one of my partners." my sight turned to ExVeemon, who gave Rob a simple nod.

"So Rob, how'd you get plunged into this world?" Shoutmon asked.

"I'm not sure really...I was on my computer when a strange light emitted behind me and I got sucked into it." he responded. By the looks of it, Taiki was right when talked about DigiGates still opening in the human world.

"I see..." Shoutmon turned to me, since he knew that situation's entirely different from how I was sent here. He then set his gaze on Dracomon.

"Alright Dracomon, time to explain yourself." the king crossed his arms.

"He's...he's become a good friend of mine over the past month..." Dracomon muttered.

"And how did you two meet?"

"We ran into each other some time ago...he was looking for a way back to the Human World and he didn't know where to go...so I helped him..."

Shoutmon nodded in understanding, "Alright, but you still have to come back to the castle and explain it to Kiriha."

"Alright..." Dracomon responded, and turned to Rob.

"No problem, I'll go with you." Rob told the dragon. I stayed silent.

"...what?" Dracomon asked, looking at me.

"Nothing..."

They watched me simply walk back towards Dorbickmon's Castle, with both Dracomon and Rob a bit confused. Dracomon stayed in silence, turning his sight to Shoutmon.

"Don't worry about him. He and Kiriha just don't see eye to eye." Shoutmon explained.

"Oh..." the dragon looked down. The three of them soared back to the castle and into the courtyard, where Kiriha was waiting.

"Well, we found him..." Shoutmon told the blond haired boy, who simply crossed his arms.

"I want to talk to him alone..." Kiriha responded.

"Ok...come on, Rob..." Shoutmon turned to the guy as they both left. Kiriha glanced over at Dracomon, with a look of disappointment.

"What have I told you about sneaking out without permission?" Kiriha asked him.

"I'm sorry..." Dracomon looked down.

"And this isn't the first time...you know it's too dangerous to go out alone, especially since you can't digivolve..."

"I know..." Dracomon muttered.

"You are to stay in the Xros Loader until further noticed, understand...?"

"Yes..." Dracomon sighed as he was stored into the blue Xros Loader Kiriha wielded. Meanwhile in the throne room, Shoutmon was discussing with Rob about what he wanted to do.

"Alright Rob, if you want, we could send you back home." Shoutmon told him.

"Really?!" Rob's face widened with surprise.

Shoutmon nodded, "Yes, Wisemon had created a transporter for this case. I'm surprised Dracomon never told you."

"He didn't...are you sure he knew about it?" Rob asked.

"It's how Taiki, Tagiru, Kiriha and the rest of our human friends return to the Human World, so he knows."

"I see..." Rob responded as he thought about it. He'd been wanting to get back home ever since he arrived, but now that he met Dracomon and had seen parts of the Digital World, he became intrigued. He eventually came to a conclusion.

"If it's ok, I'd like to stay for a while longer..." he responded. Shoutmon wasn't surprised, and gave a slight smile.

"Alright." the king responded. Kiriha walked in a few minutes later. Shoutmon turned to him.

"Well?" the king asked.

"He will stay in the Xros Loader until further notice." Kiriha responded, turning to Rob, "I apologize for any inconvenience he's given you."

"It's ok, he wasn't an inconvenience at all. He was pretty helpful and nice to me." Rob responded. Kiriha nodded in understanding.

"I must be off now." he dismissed himself and walked off.

"He seems nice..." Rob looked at Shoutmon.

"He is...most of the time." the king muttered, confusing Rob.

"Most of the time?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Some times he can take things too far..."

"Oh..."

"He and Carlos are a prime example." Shoutmon added. Rob remembered what happened a few hours ago when Kiriha's name was mentioned.

"What happened between them?" Rob asked.

Shoutmon stayed in silence, and looked over to the door. "Has Dracomon told you anything about this world's history?" the king asked.

"A little bit of it, only about the war you participated in." Rob answered, a bit confused as to why Shoutmon would ask that.

"That's just it. You see, Carlos' digimon partner is..." the king muttered, pausing for a moment.

"Who?" Rob asked.

"...Dorbickmon the Fire-Fury." Shoutmon answered. Rob's face widened with shock. "Dorbickmon?! Wasn't he one of the Death Generals who tortured other Digimon?!"

"The very same..." Shoutmon nodded.

"...how'd they get partnered up?" Rob asked. Shoutmon walked over to the window and looked outside, recalling all the events that led up to the partnership.

"When Carlos first came here, he witnessed a battle between Dorbickmon and Megidramon. Megidramon injured Dorbickmon severely at some point in the battle, and was about to kill him when Carlos jumped in. Megidramon swatted him away, then turned and tried to kill the kid, but Dorbickmon managed to stab the digimon first, killing him. Sometime later I found Carlos unconscious near Dragon Falls. He explained what happened to me, and I decided to help him find Dorbickmon. A few days later we found him, only to be engaged in battle with Dorbickmon. He was angered because we were following him. However sometime during the fight, both Carlos and Dorbickmon fell into an abyss. The kid luckily managed to fall on Dorbickmon, which saved him from death, but the latter injured his ankle. We searched all over for them, and when we found them Dorbickmon was being ambushed by some digimon who wanted revenge. They injected him with a pollen that paralyzes dragon digimon. Carlos couldn't bare to watch any of this hate, and in that moment he received his Xros Loader. After those events, he stayed as the dragon's partners because of his desire to help Dorbickmon receive a second chance."

"So the time that they spent in there has gotten them closer..." Rob commented

"No...not at all..." Shoutmon responded, "Dorbickmon was extremely angered by the fact that the two became partners."

"How so?" Rob raised an eyebrow.

"After Kiriha defeated him, he developed a hatred for humans." the king explained.

"Oh..."

"And that hate was directed towards the kid...suffice to say, Carlos has gone through a lot to get Dorbickmon to at least give him a chance..."

"I see..." Rob nodded in understanding. Shoutmon looked back to Rob

"Speaking of which, it's about time I check up on him. I still don't fully trust Dorbickmon." the king responded, walking towards the door.

"Alright, thanks for your help." Rob told him.

"You can come along or stay in one of our guest rooms if you'd like." Shoutmon added.

"I'll come along. I'd like to talk to him."

"Alright."

Rob followed Shoutmon as the two went back to Dragon Land. Upon arrival they went to the open plain where we all met.

"He should be around here..." Shoutmon looked around, "There he is."

He pointed over to me, as the two walked over. Shoutmon tapped my shoulder with his hand.

"Hm?"

Glancing over, both Shoutmon and Rob were in front of me.

"Hey! How's everything?" Rob asked me.

"Good."

"Has Dorbickmon tried anything?" Shoutmon asked.

"No, I've spent most of my time here training Veemon."

"Veemon? Was he the ExVeemon from earlier?" Rob asked. He saw me respond with a nod.

"Speaking of which..." Shoutmon took out a jade green orb, "As I promised, this is a DigiCore containing 100% Stingmon data so he can digivolve further."

"Thanks Shoutmon." I stored the orb in my Xros Loader.

"Have you had any headaches lately?" Shoutmon changed the subject.

"No...not lately..."

Ever since Examon gave me that red jewel, the headaches have gone away, and the nightmares have stopped.

"Well, that's an improvement." he smiled slightly.

"Yeah..."

Shoutmon looked over to Rob, "I'll leave you two alone..."

As he walked away, Rob turned to me, "Hey, I wanted to talk to you...about your partnership."

"You mean with Dorbickmon?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

"So, how's your partnership with him?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused by the question.

"I mean, how's your bond? Are you close? Distant?" he explained further.

"Distant. He wasn't fond of me becoming his partner. He nearly killed me, twice."

"Oh..." his face turned sad, "Sorry, I thought that..."

"...he gave me a chance?" I finished his sentence, "He did, and gave me the Digi-Egg that hatched into Veemon."

"So he wants you to get him to become stronger before he'll accept you as his partner?" Rob asked.

"That's what it appears to be at the moment."

"I see...I'm sorry for bothering you about that. I was just curious about what it was like to have a partnership like that." he scratched the back of his head as he looked down.

"It's ok."

"So, how's your training with Veemon going?" he switched topic.

"Good, with the Stingmon data he'll be able to digivolve further."

"Further?" he wondered.

"Into Paildramon."

"Oh." he responded with a slight smile, "You're lucky to have your Digimon partners."

"Yeah." he saw me glance over to Dorbickmon's Castle, "Dorbickmon has saved my life more than once." I rose to my feet and stretched my arms.

"So how'd it go with Dracomon?" we changed subjects again, and he replied by looking down, remaining silent.

"...not well I'm guessing?"

"Well, he got in trouble with Kiriha and due to that he's in the Xros Loader until further notice." Rob explained.

"I see..."

A few moments later, we heard a bush rustle and noticed a familiar teal dragon run out of it .

"Or...not..."

"Dracomon! What are you doing here?!" Rob asked him.

"I came to see you!" Dracomon ran up to him. It confused Rob that Dracomon was here, especially after what happened.

"I thought Kiriha..." he muttered.

"He did, but..."

"But...?" Rob raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted to see Rob again" he responded, turning to the guy, "You're my good friend, I didn't want to stay away."

"And if he finds out...?" I asked him.

"I'll talk to him." Dracomon replied, glancing at me.

"Ok..."

"It's good to have you back Dracomon!" Rob exclaimed. The teal dragon smiled and they both hugged each other, putting a smile on my face. Dracomon turned to me.

"By the way, I don't think we've met before, I'm Dracomon." he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, the name's Carlos."

When my name was mentioned, his face turned serious, almost hateful. He looked at me with a slight glare.

"Carlos...? You're Dorbickmon's partner...right...?"

"...yes." noting his behavior, it looked like the happy moment had faded.

"...why did you partner with him? Why would you help such an evil tyrant...?" he almost growled.

"...he saved my life." I retorted.

"He...did?"

"Three times to be exact. Not like you'd believe me considering what's happened between you two." my attitude changed. Dracomon stayed silent. Seeing hate in such a young digimon angered me.

"Now that were bringing it up. Wasn't Kiriha just like Dorbickmon before the whole mess started, and didn't he abuse digimon as well?" I was the one asking the questions now. He stayed silent, and looked away.

"I can't answer that..." he muttered.

"Am I wrong...?"

"I don't know...are you...?"

"Hmph, well either way, he's my partner, whether you or Kiriha like it or not. Speaking of which, I have to go back to the castle before I get into problems with him."

Dismissing myself, the two watched me walk away, disappointed with Dracomon. Rob turned to the teal dragon, crossing his arms.

"Dracomon, don't you think you were a little harsh?"

Dracomon responded by giving him a slight glare, "You weren't there during his reign of terror. You don't know what it was like. I can't forgive him."

Rob gave him a look of slight disappointment. He didn't expect Dracomon to be one who could hold a grudge, especially one so hateful. He opted to change the subject of the conversation.

"Dracomon, why didn't you tell me about the transporter in Shoutmon's Castle?" he asked the drake, who hid the truth from him. Dracomon turned, and looked down at the ground.

"...I'm sorry. I just enjoyed our time together and I didn't want it to end." he muttered.

"...even so, you should have let me make that decision." Rob frowned.

"...so are you going to head back home?" Dracomon asked.

"...no...I think I'll stay here with you..." Rob responded.

"You will?!" Dracomon exclaimed eagerly.

"Yes, I will." the guy nodded. Dracomon eagerly embraced his friend.

"But if you're going to hang out with me, we should talk to Kiriha." Rob told him, filling Dracomon with worry.

"But..."

"Dracomon, I know, but he's your partner..." Rob told him. Dracomon stayed silent.

"I'll talk to him, you should go and hide in the Xros Loader when we get there." the guy advised.

"Ok..." Dracomon muttered.

The two went back to the castle, but upon arrival Shoutmon and Kiriha were waiting by the front gate.

"Damn...!" Dracomon muttered. Shoutmon looked at him in disappointment.

"Dracomon..." the king muttered.

The dragon looked down in shame, "Kiriha I-"

"I tell you to wait...and yet you still defy the order..." Kiriha scolded him. The tone of his voice was filled with disappointment.

"But Kiriha-"

"Dracomon, until you learn to follow a direct order, I'm putting you in lock-down..." he told the dragon, who's face widened with shock. It quickly faded into a sad frown as he was stored in the Xros Loader.

"We were coming to talk to you..." Rob defended Dracomon, but Kiriha merely glanced at him.

"Be that as it may, he still disobeyed me..." the boy responded, walking away.

"But..."

Shoutmon walked over to Rob, nodding in disagreement. Rob turned to him.

"I'm sorry...I intended to fix this and instead I made it worse." he muttered.

"Don't worry about it." Shoutmon told him, "Hopefully Dracomon will abide by the rules this time and you'll be able to see him again."

"I hope so..."

Shoutmon led Rob into one of the guest rooms, and the two went to sleep for the night. The following morning, the two went to Dorbickmon's Castle to check that everything was normal. However Rob hesitated to go inside the castle doors due to Dorbickmon's violent nature. Even as old as he was, Dorbickmon easily installed fear into him.

"Come on...Dorbickmon is not gonna eat you..." Shoutmon reassured him.

"But..." he was still hesitant. Shoutmon pulled him by the arm. The two walked in, heading over to the center room of the second floor to see the door open.

"Huh...he's not here..." Shoutmon noticed.

"Huh?" Rob's eyes widened with shock, fearing the worst.

"Hm...maybe he's-"

Shoutmon turned to see Rob start to make his way towards the exit.

"Hey!" the king called out to him.

"What?!" Rob turned around.

"Come on! You don't really think he ate the kid, do you?" Shoutmon crossed his arms. Rob looked down.

"Um..."

"You know what?" Shoutmon grabbed him by the ear, "You're coming with me!"

"Ah!"

"I will prove to you that he has not become Dorbickmon's dinner!" Shoutmon exclaimed. The two walked over to Dorbickmon's room and noticed it was open. They snuck over and peeked inside.

"See? He's right there..." Shoutmon whispered.

Dorbickmon turned around to face me. He crossed his arms as he glared.

"Time's up, let's see your result." he ordered. I nodded as out of my Xros Loader appeared another Digimon. He was a bipedal dragon who wore green armor on his chest, which covered his back, but left his midsection open, showing his slightly muscular chest and midsection, which still had the X mark ExVeemon had on his body. His groin guard matched the color of the armor on his chest, and he also had armor on his legs which was black. On his shoulders were two huge rings with three spikes on them. A red helmet with a spike on the top curving back covered his face, as well as a white plate of armor with a spike on the bottom that concealed his mouth. The digimon had two pairs of wings. One pair of wings was blue with a scale on the top that was situated on his upper back, and the other pair of wings were white, which were more noticeable to be ExVeemon's on the middle of his back. His legs also had developed further, as it looked like he was standing on his toes. His tail grew bigger. On his waist were two green blasters with a white barrel attached to his armor. He wielded huge black gauntlets with a spike on the top and had five sharp claws on them. He kneeled down and bowed respectfully. As Dorbickmon looked at him, my sight shifted over for a second to the door, where I noticed Rob watching, awed by ExVeemon's digivolution.

"...you managed to digivolve him into Paildramon in less than a week." he muttered. My attention turned back to Dorbickmon, hoping for the best.

"...for a human, that feat is impressive..." he noted, "You pass this test."

Inside, a hint of happiness came out, as my glance turned to the door, noticing that Rob and Shoutmon were gone. Dorbickmon gave me my next test.

"Time to see whether or not this evolution was merely a waste, and if you're not as stupid as I imagined..."

Meanwhile, Shoutmon and Rob walked out to the corridor, heading down to the first floor of the castle. "Phew...that was close..." Shoutmon muttered.

"Yeah..."

"I have to go take care of things at the castle." Shoutmon told him, "Don't stay here for too long."

With that, the king walked off. Rob took the time to walk around, examining the rest of the castle's interior.

"Wow...it's pretty empty in here..." he muttered. A few moments later, he heard something rattle a pillar behind him.

"Who's there?!" he looked over. Upon eyesight, he recognized the tail of a familiar teal dragon.

"Dracomon!" he ran over, and spotted the dragon.

"Hi..." Dracomon muttered.

"What are you doing here...?" Rob asked him.

"I needed to talk to you." the dragon responded.

"About?"

"About working with you." Dracomon told him.

Rob smiled, "Thanks, but what about Kiriha? You can't keep running off like this..."

"I know, that's why I got him to let me go." Dracomon responded, surprising Rob.

"How?!"

"I talked him into helping you. You need a partner and we know each other well enough, so he agreed." the dragon explained. The two smiled and hugged each other. Rob then remembered where they were.

"...are you comfortable with Dorbickmon?" Rob asked. Dracomon's face widened with shock.

"I..." he exploded with fear, "Oh no! I'm in Dorbickmons home?!"

Rob stayed in silence. Soon after, they heard footsteps approaching, which made the floor shake slightly the closer they got. Dracomon hid behind Rob as Dorbickmon walked in.

"Eep..." the dragon muttered. Upon noticing him, Dorbickmon became infuriated.

"YOU...!"

Dracomon gulped, "Y-yes, it's me..."

"You dare set foot here of all places!" Dorbickmon roared.

"I came here to see..."

Dorbickmon started charging the cannons on his chest, "Take your tail and get the hell out of here kid!"

Despite his extreme fear, Dracomon stepped in front of Rob. He summoned ever inch of courage he had to stand up to the Death General.

"...no."

Dorbickmon's face widened with surprise and anger, "What?!"

"I'm not leaving." Dracomon asserted himself. As Dorbickmon's gorge started rising, Rob stepped in front of Dracomon.

"You..." Dorbickmon growled.

"H-he's my best friend, I...I won't allow you to hurt him!" Rob stammered.

"Grr..! Both of you...out...NOW!" Dorbickmon roared as he stomped the floor with his foot. He turned around, and noticed that I was watching.

"And you...!" he stormed up to me. It was noticeable that he was going to take his anger out on me.

"Consider your test failed!" he barked. There was no argument, since it was my decision to agree to this deal we made.

"Now get these two out of here...before I do so myself...and I want you out tomorrow morning!" he growled, and stormed off. Rob tried to walk up to me, but I signaled him to stop.

"I'm sorry..." he told me.

"Just...don't be..." he saw me mutter. Giving them both one last look before walking off, they saw me let go of the old paper Dorbickmon had handed me a few minutes ago when he told me my next test.

Rob walked over and picked up the paper. He examined the object, and noticed that it was an old map, leading to what looked like a cavern in Dragon Land. A light blue object was in the center of it. Dracomon recognized it immediately.

"It's...a rare metal, Blue DigiZoid I believe." the drake explained.

"Why was he looking for this...?" Rob asked. Dracomon replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders. The two stayed in thought, until Rob spoke up.

"Whatever it is, we should get it. We ruined his chance with Dorbickmon, we owe him this much at least."

Dracomon looked at him in surprise, "But..."

Rob looked at Dracomon with a serious expression, "You may have a grudge against Dorbickmon, but Carlos shouldn't suffer because of it. We owe it to him to get this metal."

Dracomon reluctantly nodded, "Right..."

The two left to grab some supplies that they might need, storing it in a dark brown backpack Rob had. Night fell as the two followed the trail of the map, leading them into the entrance of a huge chasm, which didn't surprise the two.

"...figures..." Rob muttered.

"I know, but let's get going." Dracomon responded as the two entered. After walking for a few minutes, they entered the huge cliff shown in the map they carried, and started climbing down. The dozens of rocks made it slippery for them to get decent footing.

"Damn, be careful climbing down." Rob warned.

"Alright." Dracomon responded. They continued the dangerous trek until they reached the bottom. In the center, stalactites surrounded the center of the ground.

"Be careful..." Rob told Dracomon. The two weaved their way through to see the blue metal in the center, peeking itself out of the ground.

"There it is!" Rob ran towards it, but from above, a huge digimon landed in front of him. It was a green tyrannosaurus with pink stripes running down its back, along with faint yellow spikes growing from its nose down to its tail. It had the symbol of a skeleton with crossbones on its shoulders, and two huge black and red ringed horns protruding from its back were its most notable feature. It glared at Rob and Dracomon with its purple eyes, and roared, charging at Rob and going in for a bite. The boy barely avoided the digimon.

"Rob!" Dracomon ran towards him. "Get away from him Tuskmon!"

The Tuskmon ignored the small dragon as it fired a purple laser beam from his horns. Rob jumped away and hid behind a rock.

"Baby Breath!" Dracomon shot out a flame from his mouth at the Tuskmon, who was unfazed and slammed Dracomon with his tail.

"Gah!" the dragon cried out in pain.

"Dracomon!" Rob yelled. The force of the attack sent the dragon through a stalactite, hitting his head and knocking Dracomon unconscious. As Rob ran over, the digimon remembered when Kiriha released him.

* * *

Greymon was put in charge of watching Dracomon while he was in lock-down, and was silently watching him for the past few hours. The watched dragged on into the night, and as a result the dinosaur was losing sleep. Dusk dragged on, and Greymon started getting drowsy, letting out a deep yawn. Dracomon was waiting for him to fall asleep so he could make his move.

"Come on..." Dracomon muttered, "Go to sleep..."

Greymon closed his eyes for a moment, but woke up immediately.

"Damn..." Dracomon sighed. The Greymon yawned again and closed his eyes, and after a while, succumbed to his sleep and started to snore.

"Finally..." Dracomon muttered as he got out of the Xros Loader. He started walking around, strolled through the corridors of Kiriha's house, he noticed that Kiriha wasn't around, and the moonlight illuminated the hallway..

"Odd..." the dragon whispered.

"That you managed to get past Greymon?" Kiriha responded from behind him. Dracomon turned around, surprised. He looked down, and tried to explain himself.

"I'm sorry Kiriha, but I-"

"You know, you could have just told me the first time you snuck out." Kiriha interrupted him, surprising the digimon. The boy looked out the window.

"...I knew someday you'd grow up and would want to leave to go off on your own. I didn't expect it to be so soon..." he told the drake. Who gave a surprised expression.

"Y-you mean...?"

"...if I do this, you know what happens right? I will no longer be responsible for what happens to you. If you are in danger, you'll face it completely on your own. And if the day comes where we face off, we will be opponents. Are you willing to accept every risk that comes along?" Kiriha asked him. Dracomon paused for a moment, and with all his courage, answered.

"Yes, yes I do Kiriha." he nodded. His answer put a slight smile on Kiriha's face. He knew the day would come that he'd have to let Dracomon go from Blue Flare, and was both proud and sad that the dragon was leaving him, but Dracomon had grown so much under his watch from when they first met.

"Very well Dracomon..." Kiriha raised his Xros Loader. The screen emitted a light that quickly faded.

"You are no longer part of the Blue Flare and are no longer my digimon..."

"...thank you, Kiriha" Dracomon told him as he embraced him in a hug.

"Be careful." Kiriha told him one last time.

"...I will."

* * *

Tuskmon roared, shaking the entire cave as his roar echoed through the cavern.

"Dracomon!" Rob called out to him. Tuskmon approached the unconscious dragon.

"Dracomon, wake up!" he yelled again as he threw stones at Tuskmon to get his attention. The dinosaur was not fazed as he got closer.

"Damn!" Rob rushed over just as Tuskmon was about to bite Dracomon, and hit the digimon on the nose with the backpack he carried.

"Stay away from him!" the adolescent yelled. Tuskmon swatted the human away with his arm, and started approaching him..

"Grrrhhh..." Dracomon groaned as he woke up, witnessing Tuskmon approach his friend. "Rob!" he exclaimed, as he started running over. Tuskmon fired Horn Buster, and despite Rob's speed, he would not be fast enough to avoid it.

"Dracomon...run..." he muttered.

"ROB!" Dracomon yelled. In that moment, Tuskmon's attack was nullified when a pillar of light struck down in front of Rob, surprising the human. And in the center, an unclaimed Xros Loader appeared.

_It's time..._

"Time..?" Rob wondered. The screen gave off a yellow light.

_When your Xros Loader starts to glow...say the words...Dracomon, Shinka! _The voice stated as it faded. Rob looked at the device with determination.

"Ready Dracomon?" he asked the drake.

"Huh?!" the digimon looked over in surprise. Rob gripped the Xros Loader, which turned a roman silver color as he shouted, "Dracomon, Shinka!"

Dracomon was engulfed in a light, which blinded Tuskmon. As it faded, Dracomon had digivolved into a bigger, darker blue dragon. His lower jaw, chest and stomach were still a pale tan shade, and his muscles had become more developed, noted by his chest, arms and legs. The horns on the back of his head had become a red and orange color, and were more spiky than before. There were now red scales running down the back of his head towards his tail. His wings had grown larger, matching his blue scales, but the inside of the wings were tan colored. He looked at Tuskmon with his crimson colored eyes, and roared.

"Shinka, Coredramon!"

Tuskmon growled at Coredramon, who was in awe of his new form.

"I...I digivolved?!" he stammered.

"Go for it Coredramon!" Rob cheered. Coredramon glanced back at his partner, quickly seeing the Xros Loader he wielded, which helped him realize how he evolved. He gave a smirk.

"Right!" the dragon yelled. He faced off against Tuskmon, who roared and attacked with Horn Buster. Coredramon swiftly avoided it, and grabbed Tuskmon by his tail. The blue drake swung him around and despite Tuskmon struggling, Coredramon threw him out of the center and into a wall. A few stones broke off and landed on Tuskmon, who roared in pain.

"Blue Flare Breath!" Coredramon as he fired a blast of blue flames at Tuskmon, triggering an explosion.

"Strike Bomber!" he followed up the attack by charging and slamming Tuskmon with his tail at a great force.

When the smoke faded, Rob noticed three purple rings surround Tuskmon. Coredramon stomped back to Rob.

"What's that?" Rob asked.

"That's suppose to show you've hunted a Digimon." Coredramon explained.

"What do I do?" the human looked at his partner.

"Swipe your Xros Loader and say 'Hunting Complete!'" Coredramon suggested. Rob nodded and did as Coredramon ordered. Tuskmon was engulfed in a light and was stored into his Xros Loader.

"Whew...thank you for saving me Coredramon." Rob showed his gratitude. Coredramon looked at him and smiled.

"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without digivolving." the dragon replied.

"Let's get the DigiZoid." Rob advised.

"Right!" Coredramon soared over to the stone formation surrounding the blue metal. With his sharp claws, he dug up and collected the blue metal, but the moment he lifted the mineral from the ground, the place started shaking. Coredramon flapped his wings and soared out of there, landing next to Rob.

"Quickly, grab on!" he ordered. Rob nodded as he jumped onto the dragon's back. The two escaped as the chasm collapsed, sealing off the entrance behind them.

"Whew...that was close." Rob sighed in relief.

"Yeah." Coredramon glanced at him.

"We make a good team." the human smiled, "Now hurry, we have to get back before dawn."

The two returned to Dorbickmon's Castle, and snuck into Dorbickmon's room. The red drake was deep in sleep, drowning out any sound with the deep grunts of his snoring. They placed the metal on the table next to his bed, and they were about to walk out when they heard Dorbickmon grumbling in his sleep.

"Damned...brat...Dracomon..." he muttered as he rested, letting out a growl in between breaths, "You'll regret...mocking me..."

Dracomon and Rob looked over. The dragon stayed silent, looking down at the ground.

"I'm sorry Dracomon..." Rob turned to him, but noticed the dragon snickering.

"Why are you-?"

"Shh..." Dracomon motioned him to stay quiet with his hand as the two listened in to Dorbickmon's ramblings.

"You'll regret...the day...you called me a horned lizard..." Dorbickmon growled as he resumed his snoring. Dracomon tried his best not to laugh at the fact that Dorbickmon was dreaming about him. A few minutes later, he and Rob walked outside. It was still night, and the two were very exhausted.

"Tired..." Rob muttered. The two found a shady tree, and despite the cold chill, rested their backs against the bark and fell asleep, with Dracomon resting his head on the side of Rob's stomach.

The following morning, I started storing all the things Shoutmon had given me when the ground started shaking slightly, signaling that Dorbickmon walked in.

"You don't have to tell me twice to leave, I understood the first time." he watched me grab all the stuff in preparation to leave. However to my surprise, he stopped me from leaving and opened his palm, revealing the Blue DigiZoid he had instructed me to find from before.

"I told you that you had failed...yet you still went to acquire the blue DigiZoid." he muttered. Upon thought, it was easy to figure out who really went for the metal, but they wanted me to take the credit for it.

"I was never good at taking orders..." I responded. There was a moment of silence, until Dorbickmon turned around.

"...tell that kid to sleep inside..." he muttered, surprising me. Dorbickmon gave me one last glare.

"...him and the dragon brat..." he added as he walked off. After he left, it was up to me to look for them. Both Rob and Dracomon were sleeping outside, resting under a tree not too far from Dorbickmon's Castle.

"Hey...wake up."

They didn't answer, so I bonked Rob on the head with my Xros Loader.

"Ow!" he jolted awake, Dracomon following. The two looked up at me.

"You know...you'll get sick if you sleep out here..."

"I know but..."

The two saw me signal them with a simple tilt my head, "Come inside...you and Dracomon..."

"Really?!" the two exclaimed.

"Dorbickmon's aware that you two had something to do with the blue DigiZoid appearing in his room."

"Oh, I intended to keep that from being out in the open..." he told me. The two saw me smile slightly.

"...thanks."

"You're welcome, ready Dracomon?" Rob asked him, but he hesitated.

"Um..." he glanced at me.

"As long as you're out of his way, then you'll be fine." I assured him. Dracomon nodded slowly.

"Ok..." he muttered.

"Just please don't blow it with him again..."

"Don't worry, we won't." Rob responded. The two followed me into the castle, leading the two to the room on the first floor close to the entrance. The two walked in, and caught up on their sleep in peace.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: A Hunter's Examination: Slayerdramon & Ouryumon**

Night time had arisen in Dragon Land, as the entire Kingdom felt quiet, with almost no noise coming from the streets of Dragon City, which were only illuminated by the few street lights that were installed in the metropolis. The forest had quieted down, with the simple sound of the breeze passing through. However, the mountain range was filled with commotion. A few explosions were seen, illuminating the area.

"Quick!" a digimon called out as he ran. His silhouette revealed that he was a dragon man.

"I'm trying!" his partner responded in between breaths. Another explosion occurred behind the two, revealing that he was more of a serpent.

"If we don't hurry, they'll catch us!" the drake told him.

"I know!"

They ran into the forests of Dragon Land. Behind them were many explosions being sent by other digimon chasing after them. Their appearance was hidden behind the smoke and darkness. The pair ran out and stopped at a fork in the road. Each path led to a different part of Dragon Land.

"Where do we go?!" the serpent asked, looking back to notice the pursuers catching up.

"Take the center path!" the drake responded. The two sprinted through the center trail, ending up in a dead end blocked by a mountain.

"Damn!" the serpent growled.

"They went this way!" another blunt voice exclaimed. The two glanced back to see their pursuers closing in.

"Crap..." the serpent looked around, and noticed an opening, "Wait, come on!"

He grabbed his friend and the two jumped up. They snuck into the mountain through a narrow passage hidden by a brush of leaves. Remaining silent, they heard the other voice loud and clear.

"Damn...dead end..." it growled, "Quick! Go back the other way and find them!"

Being careful not to make any noise, they listened as all the other voices faded away, signaling that their pursuers had left. The two sighed in relief.

"They're gone...we're safe Slayerdramon..." the serpent responded. The two looked around. It was blocking the entrance to a dark cave.

"Where are we..?" he asked the drake.

"I don't know..." the Slayerdramon muttered. They rose to their feet.

"This place is pretty well hidden, let's keep going." his serpent friend advised.

"Alright." the Slayerdramon nodded as both of them walked into the cavern.

* * *

The morning came into view, and I walked into Dorbickmon's room, with Rob and Dracomon following. They waited outside the door. Dorbickmon was looking out the window in his room, with his arms crossed.

"What's my next test?" he heard me ask. He turned around, giving me the usual glare.

"...prove to me that you're a formidable hunter. Go out and hunt ten Digimon by tonight, or don't bother coming back." he commanded. Unfortunately, there was very little information about the Digimon hunt in my mind, or any digimon that are considered wild. But like the two previous tests, it was the only chance to prove my worth to him, so there was no choice but to accept.

"...alright"

Storing Paildramon into the Xros Loader, he turned around as we walked out. Stepping out of the castle gates, Rob and Shoutmon were waiting for me outside. The look on Rob's face showed that he had overheard that conversation before leaving.

"...you overheard that didn't you..?"

"Sorry..." he muttered.

"It's ok Rob, you probably think I'm crazy for accepting such a test..."

"Somewhat, but I know you can take care of yourself." he told me. I nodded in agreement.

"Well, I've got to go hunt ten digimon now..."

"We'll come with you." Shoutmon told me.

"I don't even know how to hunt a digimon..."

"That's where I come in." Shoutmon responded, "Come on."

He walked away and we followed. Shoutmon led us over to the forest part of the valley, and kept talking, explaining the digimon hunt.

"When DigiQuartz was still around, many digimon got sucked into the dimension. Once we got rid of the source, any digimon who was in DigiQuartz was released, but they emitted an invisible green aura seen through a Xros Loader. That's how you distinguish wild Digimon." he told us.

"I see..."

"That's why we made it a requirement that you need to have a Xros Loader, so you can't just hunt any digimon."

"Ok..." Rob muttered. We searched around the forest, and didn't find anything.

"Damn...nothing..." Rob muttered, "At this rate..."

"Hey, look over there!" I pointed over to a digimon in the distance. Rob and Shoutmon looked over. The digimon was a serpent was clad in gold armor and brown scales. The digimon had two huge black wings, which contained openings in the center. Since he was facing away from us, we couldn't see his face. The trees were also blocking our sight.

"An Ouryumon! Haven't seen any of those here in Dragon Land." Shoutmon told us.

"I bet if I hunt him Dorbickmon will be impressed!" I responded, taking out my Xros Loader. We slowly approached the serpent, who was distracted on something else.

"What's our plan Slayerdramon?" Ouryumon asked the drake.

"We find a place to hide, just for a little while." the drake responded.

"And then what? We keep running? We keep letting them do away with everyone who helps us?" Ouryumon retorted, not happy with repeating the same tactic they have been using for the past few days. The drake looked away.

"I don't know...but, what else can we do...? It's not like..."

As the drake rambled on, Ouryumon was whisked away by his tail.

"Ah!" the serpent exclaimed, catching the drake's attention.

"Ouryumon!"

"Alright!"

"What the hell?!" the serpent looked over at us.

"Time to hunt you!" I told the digimon. He wore a gold mask on his face that had two spikes with three horns protruding out of it, as well as plates of green armor resembling grass adorned onto the sides. Ouryumon wore red earrings with a gold jewel on the center, and on his forehead was a small red gem in front of what looked like a statuette of a gold dragon. His head resembled a spiky flower, and on his lower jaw were gold spikes with a green line running through the center. Ouryumon had gold armor on his shoulders, as well as armor on his forearm that was the same color but had black plates of armor around it. He wore purple gloves on his hands which were open on the tips, revealing his black claws. His legs also contained a plate of gold armor on them, and he wore matching purple legwarmers on his feet, which had two claws. His hair was purple, and was styled in a ponytail. He wielded two black blades that were gold near the outside and had a red handle, as well as red lettering on the blade. His tail had the tip of a gold sword on the end. He looked at us with his yellow eyes.

"Wait! Stop!" we heard another voice cry out. The tone of the digimon's voice was slightly deep, though not as deep as Dorbickmon's. We looked over. The voice was from another dragon digimon, clad in silver armor on most parts of his body. The exceptions were his arms, stomach, and the inside of his legs, revealing a much thinner black armor underneath that looked as thin as a shirt. He had a yellow horns protruding out of his snout, two on his eyes and two on his head, similar to Dorbickmon. but were covered in his silver helmet. On the sides of his helmet were spikes protruding out. Even his long tail was covered in the silver armor, with the center revealing that it was also covered in the black armor. He had yellow eyes and some metal compartments on his back that he used for carrying things, adorning a dark green cape. On his forearms were gauntlets with a spike protruding out of the top, and the armor on his legs and shoulders curved upward. The claws on his metal boots were yellow. What was most noticeable that the armor on his body had a yellow line cutting through parts of his chest, arms, and legs, leading to a core below his stomach that emitted a yellow glow in irregular patterns. On his back was a huge weapon wrapped in bandages.

"A Slayerdramon..." Shoutmon muttered.

"Why should we let him go?" I asked the silver dragon. The Slayerdramon started stammering in hopes of finding a reason.

"B-because...he's..."

"Wait...is he your hunted digimon..?" he saw me frown, hoping the Ouryumon was not his. His faced widened as if he had an epiphany.

"Y-yes! I'm a hunter and he's my newly acquired digimon!" he exclaimed. Ouryumon's jaw dropped to the floor. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't hunt another hunter's digimon.

"Damn it...Paildramon let him go..." I ordered, saddened by this. Paildramon let the serpent drop to the floor.

"Ow!"

"Thank you..." Slayerdramon told us.

"You're trespassing on private land." Shoutmon told them, suspicious of the two. Slayerdramon rubbed the back of his head with his arm. He apologized.

"Sorry, we didn't know..."

"Wait a second Shoutmon..." he heard me tell him. Shoutmon glanced over, confused by why we shouldn't escort them out of the valley.

"You stated that you were a hunter?" I asked him for reassurance.

"Yes...?" Slayerdramon glanced down at me. He might be able to help me with Dorbickmon's test.

"Can you help me with something?"

"What is it?" he asked, confused.

"I need to hunt ten strong digimon by tonight. Do you think you can help me? I'll repay you if you do."

The dragon crossed his arms. He started to think about the offer.

_Hmm...if I help this kid...could he give us a place to hide...?_

Slayerdramon looked over, and noticed Dorbickmon's Castle in the distance. After deep thought, he nodded in agreement.

"Yes." he answered.

"Great!"

We were about to shake hands in agreement, but Shoutmon put his hand on my shoulder.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" the king asked. He gave me no time to respond before he dragged me over.

"Ow...what...?"

"Don't you think you're being a bit too trustworthy? You don't even know this guy!" Shoutmon whispered. He noticed my confused expression.

"...you didn't know me, and yet you saved me, gave me a place to stay as well as help me find Dorbickmon..."

"Yeah but I-"

"And you have a lot of things to take care of at the castle today." I interrupted him. He tried to reason with me, and stammered a bit due to it all being true.

"But I, I mean you...you can't just...ARGH!" he held his head in confusion. Slayerdramon walked over to us.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, so are you gonna help me or not?"

"Yes..." he responded.

"Alright then, let's go."

Giving Shoutmon and Rob one last look, Slayerdramon and Ouryumon walked off with me. Shoutmon sighed, "This kid..."

As we walked out of the valley, I started to ask Slayerdramon some questions about his hunting career.

"So how long have you been hunting?"

"For a while now..." he responded.

"So...Ouryumon was a wild Digimon?"

Glancing over at the serpent, he became angry upon hearing the comment. He hissed at me.

"I AM N-" before he could finish, his mouth was covered by Slayerdramon.

"Yes, he was." the drake responded. The serpent was screaming, but it was muffled under Slayerdramon's hands..

"...for a wild digimon, he sure is a screamer..." I told him. Ouryumon was infuriated, and was able to get his mouth free. He roared.

"WHY I OUGHTA-!" before he could finish, his mouth was clamped shut by Slayerdramon again.

"Yes, he is." he responded. As we exited the path that led to Dorbickmon's Castle, we noticed a shadow above us.

"Hey, look."

Pointed up at the sky, Slayerdramon and Ouryumon looked up, noticing the large, bird-like digimon with red feathers on most of its body. It had huge yellow talons and claws, which had a few red markings on its fingers and feet. The digimon had white feathers on it's neck and chest, and golden hair. On its head was a red helmet with blue markings, and a feather adorned on the top. The bird had huge red wings as it soared through the sky.

"A Garudamon!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. Using the knowledge Shoutmon gave me, I grabbed my Xros Loader and used the function Shoutmon told me about. A holographic screen appeared and when we looked at the Garudamon with it, we noticed it was emanating the green aura he told me about.

"It's a wild digimon." Ouryumon noticed.

"Be careful kid, Garudamon has an advantage in the sky." Slayerdramon advised. Taking his advice and reloading Paildramon from the Xros Loader, we ran over to hunt it, leaving the two there to watch.

Ouryumon stepped in front of the silver drake, furious with him for the hunter remark. Slayerdramon looked away.

"Sorry, but I had to think fast." the drake explained.

"And of all things, you tell him that?!" the serpent hissed. Slayerdramon turned around, giving him a stern expression.

"It was the best thing I could think of!" he retorted. The serpent poked his chest with his claw.

"I'd rather have him think I was your lover!" Ouryumon blurted out, surprising the drake. He scratched the back of his head.

"...well we could go with that if you want." Slayerdramon told him.

"Shut up!" the serpent retorted, crossing his arms and looking away in embarrassment, "We already tried that alias...back in that fancy hotel in Cyber Land...until we got kicked out."

"Because you didn't keep up the facade." Slayerdramon muttered.

"I didn't?! You're not exactly a Casanova!" Ouryumon hissed. The silver drake looked at him in the face.

"Neither are you!" he scoffed.

"Oh please." Ouryumon scoffed, "You enjoyed that life of luxury every second of it and you know it."

"Uh, N-no of course not!" Slayerdramon looked away, blushing. The memory of when Ouryumon had to give him a massage came into his head, and he smiled.

"Mm-hm..." Ouryumon crossed his arms at the sight.

"S-stop making a mountain out of a molehill." the silver drake stammered as he snapped out of it.

"I knew you secretly liked male digimon..." Ouryumon teased.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Slayerdramon exclaimed, appalled by the thought.

"Oh am I?" Ouryumon smirked, "Because I specifically remember two years ago when you were still a Wingdramon. You were dumped by your girlfriend, and went on a drinking binge, where you told me you would swear off woman. And then you tried to make out with a Tyrannomon."

"I was drunk and hurt!" Slayerdramon exclaimed.

"So? You meant every word of it, and then you acquired an addiction to alcohol." Ouryumon responded.

"...and the Tyrannomon didn't mind..." Slayerdramon grumbled. They looked over to see the end of the battle. Ouryumon turned to the drake, growling.

"And I'm not your pet..."

"I didn't say you were..." Slayerdramon responded.

"Hey!" both of them noticed me running over to them, "I hunted him!"

"Huh?!" Slayerdramon exclaimed, surprised by my accomplishment. They noticed the Garudamon in my Xros Loader.

"Oh, congrats!" he told me.

"Well, what are we waiting for!? I've got until nightfall!" I told him and led the way. The drake sighed and followed slowly, with Ouryumon following. As we trekked onward, Ouryumon glanced at Slayerdramon.

"You don't even know the first thing about hunting!" he whispered.

"I have a good idea, now just play along like a good little serpent." Slayerdramon muttered. Ouryumon grabbed one of his blades.

"If you survive this, I swear I'm going to skin your-!"

"Hey look!" Slayerdramon cut him off as he pointed to a digimon. I looked over, the digimon resembled a yellow wasp with black stripes on it's body. Most of the digimon's body was mechanical. It had red eyes, small arms, and a huge stinger made of steel. The armor on the wasp's shoulders emanated a blue light underneath.

"A Waspmon!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. Examining it through the Xros Loader, it was emanating the same green light Garudamon was emanating.

"And a wild one."

Slayerdramon and Ouryumon followed after Paildramon and myself. It was a bit of a struggle, but we hunted the digimon.

We used the same process for the seven other digimon, who were as followed. After Waspmon, we hunted Crowmon, who was a huge black crow with white feathers on its chest, as well as purple feathers that covered its head and the tips of the wings. He had a red beak and talons, as well as two gold spikes on its wings, connected to some armor that it wielded of the same color. His helmet was also the same shade of gold, and covered its head, with a long red feather coming out of the back. After Crowmon was Karatenmon, who was a bipedal crow. He had black wings, and feathers acting as a tail, and some on his shoulders. He wore purple armor on his chest, arms and legs. His claws were black, and he wore white pants, as well as the bottom of a brown tunic on top, with a black belt around it. His arms were red, and he wielded two yellow swords with red scabbard. The next was Shadramon, who was a green bug that had black eyes, and a mouth of a purple bug. It wielded yellow insect wings which were red on the ends of it. It wielded red and yellow armor on most parts of its body that was styled like a flame. The only parts of his body that weren't covered in the armor was his arms and shins. After him was Tankdramon, who as the name states was a tank. The digimon had the bottom part of a green tank as its legs, and wore a yellow helmet, attached to the upper brown part of the tank, which had four huge silver blasters on the sides. There were a group of silver missiles in front of the digimon's stomach, as well as two gun ports next to them. Despite this, he wasn't all mechanical. His main body consisted of light cobalt blue scales, and he resembled a dragon with red eyes and a tattoo on the sides of his shoulders. On his hands were two gauntlets with spikes on them. After him was Blimpmon, who was also a machine digimon. It was a huge blimp covered in brown metal with a needle on the front, and three gun ports on the lower sides of the body. It also had arms near the bottom, which also had another head on the bottom of the blimp where the propellers were. He had yellow eyes and two giant cannons on the top. He went down with more of a fight than the others, managing to exhaust Paildramon. Our eighth digimon to hunt was Strikedramon, who was a bipedal purple dragon, with green pants, and iron cuffs around his ankles and arms. With plates of iron on his feet, shoulders and hands, which had small spheres on them, the digimon's chest and stomach were white, and had a red marking curving around his chest, complementing his long red hair. On his head was a silver helmet with a spike on top, and his tail had armor adorned onto it. Strikedramon was fast, but it wasn't a problem for Paildramon. Nearly finishing the hunt, the ninth digimon was Vikemon, who we found near the end of the river that cut through Dragon Land. He resembled a bipedal walrus with white fur covering most of its body. The only exception was his hands and claws. He had blue eyes, and wore a red viking helmet on his head with two horns protruding out of it. On his forearms were a bunch of belts crossing each other, and he wore a red loincloth connected to another belt around his waist. He wore a light brown fur pelt, which had two cannon like weapons with two spike balls on it, as well as a small round shield on the sides of his shoulders. He was the biggest difficulty for Paildramon, being the stronger of the two. Paildramon however, managed to knock the walrus out, allowing us to capture him. The hunt took more than half of the day, but we were still ahead of time.

"That makes nine!"

Glancing over to Slayerdramon and Ouryumon, both of them were surprised by our abilities and rapidity in hunting nine digimon, shown by their open jaws.

"Y-yeah..." Slayerdramon mumbled. He and Ouryumon looked at each other.

"Are you two tired or something?" they heard me ask them. The two snapped out of their surprised state.

"No, not at all!" Slayerdramon exclaimed.

"Alright, that makes one more to look for..."

We started heading back to Dorbickmon's Castle, but along the way we spotted another digimon.

"How about him?" I asked the two, pointing to a blue tyrannosaurus like dinosaur drinking from the river. It had green eyes, a light blue belly and front neck, along with long red hair, white and yellow striped feathers on his head, as well as orange stripes on its body. It also wore a white and orange stripped necklace with three medallions around it's neck.

"An Allomon. Are you sure you want to go for him?" Slayerdramon asked me. Checking to see whether or not it was a wild digimon with the Xros Loader, he saw me nod.

"Yeah."

"Alright." he and Ouryumon stayed back and watched. Since it hadn't noticed us yet, it gave me the opportunity to sneak up quietly behind it. However it became aware of my presence when it heard me step on a branch. It looked over and spotted me.

"Damn..."

It roared and attacked by shooting a blast of fire from its mouth. Paildramon reloaded out of the Xros Loader, grabbed me and took flight to the skies, avoiding the attack.

" Phew...too close." I muttered as Paildramon held me by the stomach in his arm. He landed a few feet away from Allomon, placing me safely on the ground. He turned around and shot the Allomon with ammunition fire from the Desperado Blasters on his waist. The digimon screeched in pain and charged at us. Paildramon waited for the digimon to get close, and grabbed the dinosaur. He used the momentum to flip the beast over and slam him on the ground. It roared in pain as Paildramon attacked with Desperado Blaster, knocking the Allomon out. Three purple rings surrounded the digimon as it stored it in my Xros Loader.

"That makes ten!" I exclaimed, walking over to Slayerdramon and Ouryumon, who were astounded.

"How was that?"

"Great work!" Slayerdramon congratulated me.

"Come on, let's go back and show Shoutmon!"

They watched me run back to Dorbickmon's Castle. Ouryumon glanced over to Slayerdramon, crossing his arms.

"You know, I have every intention of telling him you're not a hunter." the serpent growled.

"And blow our cover?!" the drake exclaimed. Ouryumon started taking flight to go tell the truth, but Slayerdramon tackled him down.

"Ah!" the serpent was hit to the floor.

"You can't!" Slayerdramon pleaded.

"Why not?!" the serpent hissed.

"We need to get new identities to hide!" the drake explained. Ouryumon nodded in disagreement.

"No...no, I don't want to go through that again!"

"Come on, just for now..." Slayerdramon told him.

"...you know this will end in disaster. What about the kid? How do you think he'll feel when he finds out we conned him?" Ouryumon asked. His silver counterpart stayed in silence, angering the serpent.

"Well?!"

"But..." Slayerdramon muttered.

"But what?!" Ouryumon yelled.

"We need a place to stay...I don't want to use him either...but we're still being hunted...at least here we won't have to run anymore..." the drake explained. Ouryumon glanced down. Being the older one of the two, he didn't want to go about using everyone they meet. But Slayerdramon was also his closest friend, and both of them knew that if they kept running, eventually they'd be found. After a long moment of silence, the serpent sighed and gave in to Slayerdramon's request.

"...fine." Ouryumon muttered.

"Thank you..." Slayerdramon smiled slightly.

"Just remember...I don't agree with what we are doing..." Ouryumon clenched his fist.

"I know..." Slayerdramon muttered as the two followed posthaste towards Dorbickmon's Castle.

Back near the castle, Rob and Shoutmon were waiting for us. They glanced over when they noticed me running over to them.

"Hey!" I called out to them.

"So what happened?" Shoutmon crossed his arms. Taking out my Xros Loader, both of them were surprised when they saw my collection.

"Congrats!" Rob exclaimed.

"All before nightfall. I'm going back to show Dorbickmon right now!"

"Good to hear!" he replied. Slayerdramon and Ouryumon caught up to us a few minutes later. They looked down at me.

"Thanks for helping me. Now for me to pay up my part of the deal. Is there anything you two need?"

"We just need a place to stay for a while" Slayerdramon responded.

"I think I can help."

"You really think Dorbickmon is just gonna let them stay in his home?" Shoutmon asked me.

"There's always that possibility."

"You'll really give us a place to stay?" Slayerdramon asked me.

"You helped me, it's only natural I'd help you."

"Thank you." he responded. We all headed back into the castle, except Slayerdramon and Ouryumon, who stayed outside. Rob and Shoutmon waited for me downstairs, and watched me head back upstairs towards Dorbickmon's room. Standing outside the huge door, my sight turned to the hallway for a moment.

"Well, here goes everything..."

Walking into the dark room, Dorbickmon noticed me walk up to him and turned around, crossing his arms and glaring.

"So you've returned...I assume you've completed your task?" he sternly asked. Handing over my Xros Loader to him, he reloaded the digimon from the Xros Loader and saw my collection.

"All before nightfall." I added. Dorbickmon stay silent. After examining them all, he gave me back my Xros Loader.

"...not bad for a human. You pass this test..." he growled. Dorbickmon turned away from me, and started to walk off.

"I'd like to ask for a favor..."

My response stopped him, and he faced me again while the hunted digimon were stored in my Xros Loader.

"...what is it..." he grumbled.

"I'd like to have some guests stay here..."

"This isn't some tropical resort." Dorbickmon snarled, "You've already pushed your luck by having that dragon brat and his human accomplice reside here..."

"I know, they're not planning to stay here for long. They won't get in your way, I can assure you of that."

There was a tense moment of silence between us, and he turned away. It didn't make me leave though, and his violet irises fixed their glare on me when he turned around again, as he snarled.

"...if they so much as cross a line..."

"They won't, and if they do, then take it out on me." I offered. There was another silent moment between us. He turned his back on me.

"...very well..." he reluctantly grumbled.

"Thank you Dorbickmon, you won't regret it."

Exited his room, he was left alone. A few minutes later, Slayerdramon and Ouryumon were following me into the castle through the main gate.

"Come on, let me show you to your room."

"Thanks." Slayerdramon nodded.

"Take in the fact that there isn't really anything of leisure." the two were told. Ouryumon and Slayerdramon glanced at each other.

"It's ok." Ouryumon responded.

As we walked into the foyer, we noticed Dorbickmon was waiting in one of the corridor, with his arms crossed.

"Slayerdramon, Ouryumon, this is Dorbickmon." I introduced the two. Dorbickmon's glare fixed itself on Rob, intimidating the guy.

"Eep..." Rob hid behind Ouryumon.

"Nice to meet you." Slayerdramon told him, offering a handshake. Dorbickmon merely turned his glare from Rob to me.

"If they cross a line, you know what happens..." he growled, and walked outside. Slayerdramon retracted his hand, and turned to me now that he had a glimpse of Dorbickmon's personality.

"Thank you..." he muttered. We escorted the two to their room, which was the farthest away in the castle and also the biggest next to Dorbickmon's. Much like the other rooms, there was only a bed and a stone balcony for them to walk out and look at the view.

"Sorry about the lack of stuff..." I told the two.

"It's fine, I can deal with this." Slayerdramon responded. Ouryumon looked at me and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, well you know the rules for being here, we'll leave you two alone."

"Alright." Slayerdramon nodded. We left him and Ouryumon to go take care of other things.

Ouryumon merely glared at the silver drake, disappointed.

"I know...I shouldn't be lying to him..." Slayerdramon muttered, looking away. He watched as Ouryumon shut the door closed.

"Then why don't you tell him the truth..." the serpent growled.

"I...I'm worried." Slayerdramon stammered, making Ouryumon even angrier.

"We can't do this anymore Slayerdramon. We can't keep lying to everyone we meet!" he barked.

"I know...but we need to survive..." Slayerdramon muttered.

"Is that all you care about?! Surviving?!" Ouryumon barked.

"Of course not!" Slayerdramon retorted, "But I...I don't know what else to do!"

"Tell them the truth! Tell him you're not a hunter!" Ouryumon insisted.

"And then what?!" Slayerdramon yelled, "What if he throws us out?! Then we'll just be back where we started..."

"It's better than living a lie! Are you completely okay with faking your friendship to him?! Just so we can be safe from the organization that's after us?!" Ouryumon hissed. Slayerdramon stayed silent.

"Well?!" the serpent snapped. Slayerdramon glanced down.

"...no." he muttered.

"Then why don't you tell him the truth..." Ouryumon growled.

"I...I don't know..."

"Yes you do. Now you will tell him tonight, and I'll be sure to make sure you do." Ouryumon told him.

"Alright..." Slayerdramon sighed. The two sat down, and started to relax for a while.

Outside, I released every digimon that Paildramon defeated as the sun started setting. We wouldn't have any use for them, so they'd be better off free then in my Xros Loader. Night rose in the horizon, and the food that was for Rob and the others was almost finished when Slayerdramon and Ouryumon walked up to me. They stayed a few feet behind so they wouldn't get burned by the live fire.

"Hey..." Slayerdramon muttered. He saw me give him a quick glance before turning my attention back to the food.

"The food's almost ready"

"Oh, thanks!" Slayerdramon perked up, but his smile faded when he turned to Ouryumon, whose serious glare intimidated him. The sight confused me.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well...I have to tell you something..." Slayerdramon muttered.

"So do I actually..."

Slayerdramon glanced at me, "Really? What is it?"

"I wanted to thank you for helping me. I don't think I would have been able to get those digimon myself. If there's anything you need, I'll gladly help." he saw me smile, "Now what was it you wanted to say to me?"

The drake looked at the floor.

_Damn it..._ he thought, _How the hell am I suppose to break it to him now...?_

"I..." Slayerdramon stammered, "Wanted to tell you...we haven't...been telling...you the truth..."

"About?"

"About..." he closed his eyes, "Dinner! We already ate!"

"Oh...ok."

It was a bit weird that it took him so long to tell me that they already ate. Turning my attention back to the food, Ouryumon walked away, and Slayerdramon followed. The serpent strolled back into his room and shut the door. His silver counterpart entered soon after, but he didn't turn to look at Slayerdramon.

"I...I couldn't do it..." Slayerdramon muttered.

"Just like you can't do anything else..." Ouryumon growled. Slayerdramon looked down.

"We've known each other ever since we were kids, born into a same type of family. We were abused physically by our fathers. When we met, it was as though we finally found a safe haven, but my father left with me soon after. We were taught to lie, cheat, and kill to survive. Then they abandoned us without a trace, and we reunited with each other when you were a Wingdramon and I was a Hisyarumon. We were accepted into that strange organization soon after, and we worked with them, doing everything we were ordered. You were sent to prison twice because of the crimes they made you commit, and I was nearly killed in one mission. Then one day, for some odd reason, we were on their hit list. Ever since then we've had to run. And the only thing we have left from that organization is the white Xros Loader they gave us. So tell me, why can't you tell him the truth...for his sake...?"

"He trusts us..." Slayerdramon muttered. Ouryumon snapped.

"You give him false friendship! Don't you remember the last time we had to lie? We left a poor digimon heartbroken!"

"I know!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. Ouryumon turned to see the silver drake fighting back tears.

"I know that! It's just...I'm sick of us being on the run! I just want to be normal for a while..." he muttered. Ouryumon looked down; he himself was also sick of running away, but he also didn't want to hurt anyone else either. After deep thought, he sighed and gave in to Slayerdramon's request.

"...fine." the serpent looked away. Slayerdramon looked at him.

"I'll play along for now...but stop pretending to be a hunter, and if you so much as call me your dragon again..."

"I know..." Slayerdramon agreed to the terms.

"And don't use that Xros Loader." Ouryumon added, "You know as well as I do it's only for identification purposes, not for a game of digimon hunting."

"I know, thank you..."

"Don't thank me, just stop being such a damn crybaby." Ouryumon belittled him. Slayerdramon growled at the remark as Ouryumon sat himself down on the floor and went to sleep.

"...thank you Ouryumon." the drake muttered one last time before going to sleep on the bed.

The following morning was slow, and the two were deep in sleep, or at least one of the two was.

"...snnnnrrrrrkkkk..." Slayerdramon grunted as he snored in his sleep. Ouryumon was woken up by it, and covered his ears.

"Urgh...Snorerdramon's at it again..." the serpent growled as the silver drake continued his ruthless tirade of snorts and grunts.

"Ugh...shut uuuup..." Ouryumon grabbed the white Xros Loader and hurled it at the drake's snout. Slayerdramon resisted and turned over, continuing his snoring rampage as he slept on his back.

"Grr...!" the fed up serpent grabbed an apple from their supplies and shoved it down the drake's mouth, who started choking and jolted awake, coughing out the fruit.

"What the hell?! Why did you do that?!" Slayerdramon barked.

"Maybe because you can't keep those nostrils of yours shut when you sleep, Snorerdramon!" the serpent sassed.

"I don't snore!" the drake retorted, never once hearing himself sawing logs in his sleep.

"You do more than that!" Ouryumon yelled, "I can't sleep with you constantly revving engines!"

"Shut it!" Slayerdramon barked.

"You first, Snorerdramon!" the serpent scolded.

"Grr..!" the drake snarled at him, but Ouryumon wasn't fazed.

"Oh look, the crybaby's getting angry. I'm SO scared..." the serpent teased, causing Slayerdramon to snap.

"CRYBABY?!" the drake lunged at him, and both of them started fighting. However, instead of quarreling like two digital monsters, they battled like two spoiled brats. Ouryumon bit down on Slayerdramon's leg, where the drake's silver armor wasn't protecting him.

"Gah!" the drake cried out. He punched Ouryumon in the face as the two continued to fight. Slayerdramon clamped his teeth down on Ouryumon's tail.

"Gah!" the serpent yelled.

"How do you like getting bitten?!" Slayerdramon barked, with his teeth still clamped down on Ouryumon's tail. Both continued struggling. Ouryumon struck a blow to Slayerdramon's groin, and the silver drake stomped on the serpent's toes with his metal boot. In the end though, Ouryumon was victorious over Slayerdramon, sitting on top of the drake and rejoicing.

"Just like all the other times we fight." Ouryumon smirked. Slayerdramon grumbled inaudibly at his embarrassing defeat.

"Now what do you say to big brother Ouryumon?" the serpent smirked.

"Hmph..." Slayerdramon turned away, but Ouryumon added more weight onto the drake's back, nearly crushing him.

"What was that..?" the serpent asked again.

"Fine! Fine! I'm sorry!" Slayerdramon cried out.

"Good boy! Now behave and maybe big brother will give you your favorite milk and cookies!" the serpent teased as he got off of Slayerdramon, who rose to his feet, but felt his back was in pain. The drake walked out of the room and towards the stone balcony that is on the second floor of the castle, where he looked at the horizon. He noticed the forest next to the river, and the mountains that surrounded the valley.

"Nice view..." he muttered.

"Hey!" he heard my voice from behind him.

"Huh?!" Slayerdramon quickly turned around, nearly surprised.

"Sorry, did I surprise you?" I apologized, walking up to him.

"No, it's ok." he responded.

Joining him in observing the scenery, my curiosity on where he's adventured before came into mind.

"So tell me, where did you live before moving over here?"

"Huh?" he glanced over, confused.

"Where did you live before moving over to Dragon Land?"

His eyes widened with surprise.

_D-damn..._ he thought, _What the hell should I tell him..._

"U-um...well...we were...at a port town..." he muttered.

"Cool! Tell me about your time over there!" I asked, sitting down and eager for him to tell the story.

"Shit...!" he muttered, turning away. Slayerdramon was getting nervous.

_Come on..._ the drake wondered, _Make something up..._

After a few minutes, Slayerdramon turned to me and put on a smile.

"Well..." he started, "To start with, we were at a port town..."

For the next few hours, he told me an amazing story of what he did over there. He included all of the activities that he and Ouryumon did when they had spare time on their hands.

"Wow, I didn't know you could wrestle Bearmon over there!" his stories fascinated me.

"Uh, yeah!" he rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

"Must have been a strong one if it took you two hours to subdue it."

"Yeah, it was..." he responded as he held his shoulder. Standing up, he watched me start leaving.

"Well, I have to go help a friend in Dragon City, want to come?"

"Alright." he accepted the offer. We walked over to Dragon City, and I led him to the casino WereGarurumon and BlackMachGaogamon owned. Upon entering, he was amazed at the sights.

"Wow!"

"Feel free to enjoy yourself."

Giving him some money for the games, he saw me walk over to the bar, taking over the next shift for Flamedramon. Flamedramon was a bipedal blue dragon whose stomach was white, and his eyes were red. He wore armor with a red and yellow flame design to them, similar to Shadramon. His gauntlets resembled fireballs, as did the armor on his legs and feet. His breastplate and helmet had the same design, and he had a silver steel spike coming out from the top of his snout. There were also blue horns shaped like bolts of lightning on the back of his head. Flamedramon gave me a slow nod and left the area up to me as he left for the day. Slayerdramon followed after me and immediately asked for a drink. Since he helped me with Dorbickmon's test, I gave him one free of charge.  
"Here, this one's on the house."

"Thanks!" he responded. Slayerdramon guzzled the alcohol down his throat without stopping to breathe.

"Ahhh...another!" he ordered. The same result happened as the first. The burning sensation in his throat must have pleased him. He ordered another one. What was noticeable was that the more he drank, the more relaxed he seemed. Ten drinks later was the cutoff since he didn't listen to me after having chugged five drinks.

"Mmm..." he moaned. He simply looked at me with a smile.

"Wow..."

It amazing how he was still composed after guzzling down those drinks. A few moment later though, we heard the indigestion of his stomach kicking in.

"Urp...feeling sick." he burped.

"Here it comes..."

"Ugh..." he groaned in pain, laying his head on the table and holding his stomach in pain. I patted his head.

"I hate to say I told you so..."

"Grr...shut...ugh..." he groaned. The drake ran over to the nearest trash can, where he promptly vomited.

"Eww..."

"Urrrghh..." Slayerdramon groaned. While he was busy relieving himself, he heard a familiar voice from across the table next to him.

"Damn it! They've disappeared again!" the deep voice barked. Slayerdramon looked over to recognize a familiar dragon, made completely of bones. Since it had no scales to cover the bones, its heart was visible inside his ribcage. There were six spikes on its back, with another spike growing from the top of its head. Along with its huge tail made of bones, his lower jaw was long, making it unable for him to close his mouth. It had huge hands, green eyes, and an organic missile colored orange with sharp fangs on its back.

"What should we do?" one of his goons asked him. The dragon's follower was a mere Strikedramon, but was not the one that was hunted by Paildramon yesterday.

"What does it look like bolt brain?! We're going to find Ouryumon and Slayerdramon and kill them!" the dragon bellowed.

"Crap..." Slayerdramon muttered, as he hid himself behind the trash can, "I have to get out of here before he finds me..."

The drake trotted away, stumbling from being half inebriated. He tripped and hit his head on a slot machine.

"Ow..." his head rung like a bell, as he stumbled away, trying to get over his uneasiness. As he trotted out of the casino, he heard me call out to him.

"Hey, wait up!"

He turned around, but before I could reach him, a digimon landed behind me. It grabbed me with its arm.

"Gah!"

"Kid!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. Looking back to identify the digimon, it was a SkullGreymon, but not one that was familiar.

"What the hell man?!"

"Quiet, brat!" he roared then turned to Slayerdramon. He smirked at him, "Well, well, well..look who we have here..."

Slayerdramon was shocked by him..

"You're a hard digimon to find, Slayerdramon..." the SkullGreymon growled.

"Wh-who are you?!" he barked.

"Don't play dumb, you and Ouryumon know who we are..." SkullGreymon smirked. Slayerdramon frowned and crossed his arms.

_I can't let him tell the kid about us..._ he thought, _I guess there's one thing to do..._

"I don't. I think you're talking about another..." Slayerdramon responded.  
"Heh..." the SkullGreymon sneered, "Then if you're not the Slayerdramon we're looking for, then I guess you won't mind if I do this..."

The behemoth tightened his grip, slowly crushing me.

"Gah!"

"Leave him alone, he's defenseless!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. Unfortunately he was right, my Xros Loader was back in Dorbickmon's Castle.

"Sorry, but he knows where the Slayerdramon we're looking for is. So unless you just so happen to be him, we'll be on our way." he smirked. A group of Airdramon, grabbed the SkullGreymon and flew off, taking me with them. Airdramon was a cyan dragon digimon with a blue underbelly, as well as no legs or arms, and had huge red wings with rips in them, probably from the battles it has had. The Airdramon had red eyes, and their heads were actually the skulls of their body. It had two red horns on the back of its head. It had red and yellow stripped hair growing out of the back of its cranium.

Slayerdramon chased after the group, who headed in the direction of the mountains. Despite his best, he couldn't catch up to the digimon, or get close enough to launch an attack.

"Damn it..." he growled, "I can't let them hurt the kid...I need Ouryumon..."

On that note, he ran back to Dorbickmon's home to get Ouryumon. It took him a while, but he eventually reached the castle. He ran over to his room, and opened the door.

"Ouryumon?" he walked in. The serpent glanced back at him.

"I need your help." Slayerdramon walked up to him. The drake explained the situation to him.

"Carlos...he's been taken by SkullGreymon and his gang..."

Ouryumon stayed silent, ignoring him and turning his head away.

"Ouryumon!" the drake exclaimed.

"So what? Why should I care?" the serpent asked.

"He's our friend!" Slayerdramon pleaded.

"It isn't friendship if you're lying to him..." Ouryumon muttered. Slayerdramon stayed silent.

"You wanted this. You wanted to lie to him. So you can help him yourself." Ouryumon scolded. Slayerdramon glanced down at the ground, guilty of the accusation.

"Fine...I'll go myself." Slayerdramon muttered as he walked out. Exiting the castle, he started to think.

_Hmm...knowing SkullGreymon, he must have taken the kid to the old gang hangout near the ocean._

With that hypothesis in mind, Slayerdramon ran over to the old gang compound, located all the way on the other side of Dragon Land far northwest of Dragon City or southeast if the visitor entered through the other side of the Digital World. It was near an open ocean as a shortcut to Gold Land. The gang compound was an old abandoned storage unit near the peninsula in the outskirts of Dragon Land. It had many cracks and tears in the metal, but it was still standing. The ocean a few miles from it was a way for digimon to get to Gold Land in a shorter period of time. Slayerdramon scouted the area for an opening. He noticed the open window near the back of the building.

"There's a way in!"

Slayerdramon jumped in landing safely inside. However he quickly fell into a trap when he stepped forward. His foot tripped a thread which tied a chain around his foot as he was pulled upward. He dangled in the air upside down, noticing SkullGreymon a few feet away.

"Do you really think we are that stupid?" SkullGreymon asked him, smirking. Slayerdramon rolled his eyes.

"Well..."

"Your little friend is a defiant one..." the skull dragon muttered. Slayerdramon glared at him.

"Where is he?!" the drake snarled.

"He decided to play dumb, so we locked him in a room with Deltamon." SkullGreymon sneered. Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock.

"Let him out!" he ordered.

"Heh, alright." SkullGreymon smirked. The gate next to them slowly opened. Deltamon soon came into view slowly. He was a bipedal dark blue reptile digimon, with white scales on his midsection, stomach, nose and lower jaw. There were dark blue scales running down his head towards his two tail, one of which which had a plate of steel on the tip, while the other was merely bone on the tip. It had gray eyes, and wielded two heads for hands. The head on its left hand resembled SkullGreymon, while the one on the right hand resembled a purple snake with red eyes, and a metal helmet. It was attached to Deltamon through some iron coils. However when they got a clear view of the behemoth, SkullGreymon and Slayerdramon were surprised to see the digimon actually injured, with a major injury to its stomach. It had fallen back, unconscious.

"What?!" the skull dragon exclaimed.

"Amazing..." Slayerdramon was in awe of how a beast like him was defeated.

"That's impossible!"

"Beaten by a kid, shows how strong you really are!" Slayerdramon teased.

"Shut it! You follow Ouryumon around like his dog!" SkullGreymon retorted.

"Still didn't get my enforcer beat up by a kid." Slayerdramon smirked. Using his arm strength, he ripped apart the chain that was holding his leg, and landed safely on the ground.

"Grr...!"

Both of them looked over, and noticed me walking out of the room where Deltamon was, holding my arm in pain.

"Ugh...what...?"

SkullGreymon ran up and grabbed me before being able to react..

"Carlos!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. SkullGreymon started crushing me in his arm.

"Gah!"

"Stop!" Slayerdramon pleaded.

"Die..." SkullGreymon growled. As he tightened his grip, they noticed the jewel around my neck start glowing. The pain of his grip angered me

"Let...me...go!"

His grip was forced open when a burst of data exploded out of the diamond Examon gave me. It was as if it noticed I was in danger and reacted, much like Examon would if he was here.

"Gah!" he roared. Falling to the floor, my vision blurred, and a few minutes later everything became dark in my eyes, signaling the loss of consciousness.

"Damned brat!" SkullGreymon went in for the kill with his claws. Slayerdramon tried running over.

"Carlos!"

Before Slayerdramon could reach us, a blade pierced through SkullGreymon's chest. The beast roared and quickly vanished away into data. Slayerdramon recognized the digimon immediately.

"Ouryumon..." he muttered. The serpent stayed silent and started walking away.

"Why...?" Slayerdramon asked before he left.

"...you want to have a new life, then that means eliminating those who stand against us..." Ouryumon snarled and walked away. A few minutes later, I woke up to see Slayerdramon holding me in his arm.

"Come on, let's get you home..." he muttered.

"Slayerdramon...?"

"Let's go, you've proven yourself strong today..." he started walking back to the castle.

"Ok..."

"How did you hurt Deltamon by the way..?" he asked, glancing down at me.

"Let's just say...that next time they'll think twice about locking me with a digimon in a room full of explosives..."

My response made him smile, and he walked back to Dorbickmon's Castle.

In Dragon Land's forest however, Dorbickmon was walking back to his home in the middle of the night. There was not a soul in sight when he heard a voice echo through the woods.

_Dorbickmon..._

He stopped and looked around, clenching his fist. Dorbickmon immediately turned around, but saw nothing behind him.

_...Death General of Fire..._ the voiced echoed again. It angered Dorbickmon.

"Grr...! Show yourself!" he growled, preparing an attack.

_Over here..._ it told him. He turned around and used Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, destroying a nearby boulder into pieces. The voice faded away soon after.

"Hmph..." he scoffed and continued walking. However behind him, a familiar knight showed his face amidst the darkness.

"Go, my virus..." he commanded. The black flame he held in his hand obeyed and soared at Dorbickmon. It inserted itself into the back of the dragon's neck. Upon feeling it, Dorbickmon turned around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. A few minutes later, he was hit with a very painful headache.

"Guh...!" he growled, holding his head in pain. His violet irises turned blood red for a moment, but it quickly faded. He walked away soon after, heading home as the dark knight watched.

"Perfect..." the knight smirked.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Controlled By A Virus: Dorbickmon's Blow To A Partnership**

Three days pass without any word from Dorbickmon about my next test. I was grilling a huge steak for everyone to eat. Rob entered a few minutes, smelling it's juicy aroma.

"Ah...so what's for breakfast?" he asked. He noticed me keeping my eyes on the food, and not turning to glance at him.

"Food."

"What kind of food?" he asked again, tilting his head to the side.

"You'll find out when it's ready." he received my answer, without me spoiling the surprise.

"Ok...well I'm going to go find Dracomon." he responded, since Dracomon woke up before him.

"Alright."

Taking one last look at the food, he walked out of the kitchen and out the castle gates. As he searched for Dracomon, he saw Dorbickmon, who looked as if there was something wrong with him.

"Guh...!" Dorbickmon held his head in pain. Rob walked over to the drake.

"Dorbickmon?" he asked. The drake merely glared at the human.

"What's wrong?" Rob asked again. Dorbickmon's violet irises turned blood red as a darker voice responded with him.

"Nothing's wrong with me, you stupid runt!" he barked and stormed off, leaving the human in shock.

"What the...that didn't sound like him at all..." Rob muttered. As Dorbickmon walked off, the pain worsened to the point he had to stop and hold his head again.

"Grr...! Damned headache...!" he snarled in pain.

"Dorbickmon!" a voice called out. The drake glanced over and watched Dracomon walk up to him. His eyes returned to the blood red state as the darker tone resurfaced in his voice.

"What do you want brat...?" he growled.

"Dorbickmon, what's wrong with you?" Dracomon asked, perplexed by the dragon's sudden change of tone.

"Hmph, nothing's wrong with me..." Dorbickmon growled, crossing his arms. Dracomon noticed something about him though.

"There is, you're not acting like yourself. And that's saying something." the small dragon responded, infuriating Dorbickmon.

"What do you know?!" he barked.

"I know you!" the small dragon exclaimed.

"Stupid brat!" Dorbickmon stormed off, leaving Dracomon in a state of shock and a bit of worry. He ran over to search for his partner. Meanwhile, Dorbickmon's headache continued while he kept walking. His eyes returned to normal.

"What's...happening...?!" he snarled, walking into the forest. A few minutes later, Rob and Dracomon had arrived, but saw no sign of Dorbickmon.

"Where did he go...? He was here just a few moments ago." Rob glanced around with his partner, trying to find the red dragon who disappeared.

"Where'd who go?" a familiar voice asked. Rob and Dracomon turned around to see Shoutmon walking up to the two.

"Dorbickmon, he just disappeared..." Rob explained.

"And he was acting...differently..." Dracomon added.

"Differently? What was wrong with him...?" Shoutmon asked.

"He insulted us out of nowhere..." Rob replied.

"That sounds like him though..." Shoutmon looked at them, confused.

"No, he acted like he didn't care about any of...you know, he's acting like his old self." Dracomon reported in a bit more detail.

"Before he met Carlos? Hmm...let's keep a close eye." Shoutmon told the two. Rob and Dracomon nodded in agreement.

The three walked back towards Dorbickmon's Castle. They entered into the kitchen just as the food was ready.

"Mm...something smells good!" Shoutmon smiled. The three of them glanced over, noticing me talking with Slayerdramon in the other room. They walked up to us.

"Hey guys." Slayerdramon looked over to them. The three of them glanced at me.

"Something the matter?" I asked them.

"Well...It's about Dorbickmon..." Rob muttered. He, Dracomon and Shoutmon told us about Dorbickmon's sudden change in behavior. My response was that I'd try to talk to him once he returned so we could figure this situation out.

"I'll see what I can find out about this change in behavior."

"Alright." Rob nodded.

"If you find out what's wrong with him, then let me know as well." Shoutmon added. He stayed a few minutes to chat, but had to leave soon after to take care his kingly responsibilities. The entire day passed without one hint as to where Dorbickmon may be. Dusk settled itself soon after, quickly becoming nearly midnight. We all stayed awake waiting for him.

"Where is that guy...?" Rob wondered.

"I don't know...but you should all get rest. I'll stay up and wait for him."

"Ok..." Rob nodded, "Good luck..."

He grabbed the already asleep Dracomon and walked off. I turned to Slayerdramon, who was also tired.

"You should go to sleep as well."

"Nah, I can wait with you." he responded. Most of the night passed the same way, and we started to worry, which was surprising, considering it was Dorbickmon that the two of us were worrying about.

"Anything...?" Slayerdramon asked. After a few minutes, we finally saw him walk in from the corridor. Slayerdramon watched me walk up to the drake.

"Dorbickmon! Where'd you go?!"

The dragon stayed silent, and merely gave me a cold glare.

"Dorbickmon..." Slayerdramon muttered, standing up.

"Hmph, I don't need to explain myself to you..." Dorbickmon scoffed. For a moment it sounded as if he had a slightly deeper voice.

"Of course you do!"

He turned away from me.

"Dorbickmon, you're not yourself." Slayerdramon told him.

"What do you know about me..." Dorbickmon growled.

"Dorbickmon, tell us what's wrong..."

"Nothing's wrong!" he barked at the two of us.

"If nothing was wrong, then you would have merely ignored Dracomon and Rob instead of having insulted them." I responded, "Now tell us."

"Shut up..." Dorbickmon muttered.

"Dorbickmon, you wouldn't be acting this way unless something was wrong." Slayerdramon crossed his arms.

"He's right, now tell us what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong!" Dorbickmon snapped.

"Dorbickmon, please!"

"Shut up!"

"Tell us!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

With the simple back of his hand, my opinion on Dorbickmon was almost completely inverted.

"Gah!"

"Carlos!" Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock. The force of Dorbickmon's blow hurled me towards the corridor, hitting the wall. I could feel the throbbing of my cheek in pain, as blood dripped from my mouth. Of all emotions inside at the moment, forgiveness wasn't one of them.

"What's wrong with you?!" Slayerdramon yelled as the Dorbickmon's eyes widened. Glaring at him, he saw me reach for my Xros Loader.

"...fine. Don't tell us..."

Throwing the device to the floor, Slayerdramon watched me run past both of them and out the castle gates.

"Carlos!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. The Xros Loader's screen lost its green color, turning pitch black.

"Kid, come back!" Slayerdramon followed posthaste as Dorbickmon's headache worsened to the point he dropped to his knees.

"What's...happening..?! My bodies acting on it's own...!" he snarled in pain.

"Carlos! Wait up!" Slayerdramon called out, as he chased after me. But I ignored him, running into the forest.

"It's dangerous! Don't go any farther!" he called out again. Eventually, he lost sight of me, allowing me to hide behind a few bushes that covered my body from being found.

"Kid! You can't be out here, it's dangerous!" he yelled again, only to be answered by the wind. Keeping myself as well hidden as possible, he eventually found me by following the small trail of blood that came out of my mouth,

"There you are..." he kneeled down to look at me. We didn't make eye contact, because every fiber in my being wanted him to go away.

"Look, I don't...want to talk right now..."

"I know..." he put his hand on my shoulder, "There's something wrong with him, I know it. Otherwise he wouldn't act this way towards you..."

"He hit me, the bastard hit me!" I yelled at Slayerdramon. Even with Dorbickmon's past, thinking of that moment made me angry.

"I know..." Slayerdramon muttered. He watched me wipe the blood off of my lip.

"...I'm done. I don't want to see him again..."

"You can't mean that..." Slayerdramon responded in disbelief. My glare turned to him.

"You saw what happened! Do you expect me to forgive him?!"

"No...but something about him seems...off" he glanced down for a moment, then looked at me again, "I can't put my finger on it, but he wouldn't act this way towards you..."

Slayerdramon has only been around for a few days, there was little he knew about Dorbickmon. I hadn't even told him all the details of how we met, only that he saved my life from DarkKnightmon after he apprehended me.

"Either way...I'm not going back..."

"So you'll stay out here in the woods alone?" he asked. My glare turned to the ground, staying silent. He used his claw and tilted my head up, making me look at him.

"Come on...I'll take you to a place where you'll be safe. You can stay there while I sort this out with Dorbickmon, ok?" he offered. Despite trying to turn away, he merely made me turn to look at him. Knowing he was going to keep asking, there was no choice but to reluctantly nod my head in agreement.

"Good..." he muttered. The drake took me to a small cabin in the mountain range to the east. It was made out of logs. There wasn't anything of interest. There was only a bed, a fireplace and a table.

"It's only temporary, I'll figure out what to do with Dorbickmon." he told me. Looking away and staying silent, he glanced at me.

"Go to sleep...it'll be fine..." he muttered. I merely walked over and tried to wash away the memory by going to sleep. The following morning, Slayerdramon returned to find Shoutmon inside the castle. He walked up to the king.

"Hey Shoutmon...have a good night sleep?" he asked.

"Yeah...but something feels off..." Shoutmon muttered. He glanced around to find the Xros Loader on the ground. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed the screen pitch black.

"Slayerdramon...what happened...?" he asked the drake.

"Dorbickmon hit Carlos in his rage..." the silver dragon explained, leaving the king shocked.

"I-I see..." Shoutmon turned away. He clenched his fist.

"...Dorbickmon's been acting strangely. Something's wrong with him, I know it." Slayerdramon told him. Shoutmon glanced down, and the two went up to Dorbickmon's room to get to the bottom of the situation. However when they walked in, there was no sign of the drake.

"No...don't tell me..." Slayerdramon muttered, looking around.

"...he's gone." Shoutmon responded.

"...Shoutmon, go and start the search for him, I'll go get Carlos." Slayerdramon told him the plan. Shoutmon turned to look at him, and nodded.

"Alright."

Slayerdramon ran out of the room, but Shoutmon stayed and looked around. He noticed a small reflection of light. Upon further inspection, he found a small black shard of a diamond, recognizing it immediately. His eyes widened with shock.

"N-no...he's back so soon..?" the king gritted his teeth. Shoutmon ran out the door and headed straight for his castle. "Hopefully I can find where Dorbickmon is and fast..."

* * *

In the cabin, the small window it had contained a peaceful view of the mountains. The mountains towered above the grass below, and the river that leads to Dragon Falls cut through the bottom of it all. It was all silent, until the door was forced open. Looking over, Slayerdramon rushed in, catching his breath.

"Carlos, Dorbickmon's gone!" he yelled. The name made me simply turn my attention back to the window.

"Carlos, he's ran away in regret!" he shouted again. If I was in the mood, that remark would have been laughable.

"Hmph, that's real funny. Dorbickmon running away in regret? Oh how low he's fallen..."

"Carlos...I know you're still angry, but please put it aside for now, we can't let him run off into danger!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. That remark was as laughable as the first. He heard me scoff.

"Why not? He's the Fire-Fury General, he can handle himself. Everyone else turned their backs on him, it'd make no difference If I did. He doesn't trust anyone...not even his human partner. He regrets nothing and is a tyrant down to heart."

"You don't mean that..." Slayerdramon stammered.

"I do. You don't know him as well as I have. I wanted to help him, but he didn't care...he wanted me to stop meddling in his life, so I'm not going back."

"You know him better than that!" Slayerdramon yelled. He watched me remove the necklace Examon gave me containing the diamond and throw it to the ground, landing next to him.

"I was wrong...and Kiriha was right..."

"No, he wasn't!" Slayerdramon exclaimed, "He did something horrible, there's no denying that! But I'm sure if you talk to him you could fix this! Don't give up on him!"

We heard what sounded like the jewel crack, but he watched me ignore it. He walked forward and kept trying to reason with me.

"Kid...remember how he saved you even though he was responsible?" he asked, "If he was a tyrant, would he have done that? He's your partner...don't lose faith in him...please..."

"...it's too late." was my simple answer. Slayerdramon watched the gem shattered into seven pieces, still attached to the string. He grabbed it and showed it to me.

"Carlos! Is this what you want?!" he exclaimed as he made me look at him with his hand. I turned away, keeping my eyes fixed on the fireplace.

"Kid..." Slayerdramon muttered. He walked over and placed the necklace on the bed. "I'll leave you with this. Never lose faith in your partner..."

With those last words, he walked out, leaving me alone. Walking over to the fire place, my gaze became fixed on the flame that was burning.

"Dorbickmon...I hope you're satisfied..."

Elsewhere, the red dragon was somewhere in a cold arctic region, trotting slowly through the layers of snow. His sight was fixed on the ground, as he kept walking slowly.

_My body...where is it leading me...? I have no control over it anymore... _he thought. As he was being trekked onward by his body, the brutal blizzard halted his progress time after time again. He did not shiver from the cold however, and he managed to tilt his head up and notice a cave in the far distance. His body slowly led him towards the entrance. The cave's walls were completely frozen in ice, with a small sheet of snow on the floor. He was sat down against the wall, and noticed his vision start blurring.

_...why did it stop here...? _Dorbickmon wondered. The drake felt his body slowly shutting down, as his heart started beating slower and he lost feeling in his arms and legs. His vision now distorted everything around him as he was losing consciousness, unable to fight back.

"...kid..." he passed out, as the cold howl of the wind filled the cave.

Back in Dragon Land, Shoutmon was heading through the mountains, searching high and low for any sign of Dorbickmon.

"Damn...where the hell are you Dorbickmon...?" he growled.

"Hey Shoutmon!" a voice called out to him. The king turned around to see Slayerdramon running over to him.

"Did you find him yet?" the silver dragon asked.

"No..." Shoutmon glanced down, "He isn't in any of the Seven Kingdoms..."

"...where do you think he'd be?" Slayerdramon asked.

"The only place I haven't looked in is the Southern Ice Caps, but that place is a harsh ice land where it's completely inhabitable." the king explained

"It's worth a shot." Slayerdramon nodded in agreement.

"How'd it go with you?" Shoutmon changed the subject.

"Not well...he's still angry at him..." Slayerdramon looked down, "We have to hurry...Dorbickmon may not have a lot of time left..."

Shoutmon nodded as he activated a DigiGate using a small orb Wisemon had given him. It let out a light and a huge pillar of light appeared in front of them The two jumped in and traveled over to the ice land. Upon arrival, they started searching. The harsh climate slowed them down.

"Damn it...we have to act fast..." Shoutmon told Slayerdramon, who nodded in agreement. It took a few minutes, but the two quickly spotted a cave in the distance and ran towards it. They went inside for warmth. Slayerdramon glanced down at the ground and noticed the tracks of snow on the ground.

"It looks like someone was here..." he muttered, "Dorbickmon must be around here..."

Shoutmon walked deeper into the cave to see where it led. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed a familiar drake.

"Dorbickmon!" the king exclaimed, catching Slayerdramon's attention. The drake rushed over, and both of them saw all of Dorbickmon's lower body completely frozen in ice, with parts of his upper flesh and shoulders following. Shoutmon went up and placed his hand on Dorbickmon's arm, checking his pulse.

"He's alive...but barely..." the king muttered.

"Dorbickmon, answer us!" Slayerdramon exclaimed, but the drake didn't answer. "We have to chip him out of this, and take him somewhere warm."

Shoutmon nodded and using his Rock Soul technique, he formed a ball of flame and started melting the ice. Slayerdramon at the same time began chipping away the ice on Dorbickmon's legs. The dragon sat there, motionless as a corpse, as the other two kept working. Shoutmon moved over and started melting away the ice on Dorbickmon's shoulder while Slayerdramon moved on to chipping away the ice on Dorbickmon's torso. Shoutmon finished and began to unfreeze parts of Dorbickmon's chest as the drake responded in a dead tone.

"...leave..."

"We won't do that!" Slayerdramon exclaimed, looking over in astonishment.

"I deserve death..." Dorbickmon muttered. The virus was still in control of his emotions.

"What's gotten into you?!" Shoutmon yelled at him, appalled by the thought. Dorbickmon slowly turned to look at the king. His glare was completely blank of emotion.

"Hmph...shouldn't you be happy...?" he asked, "You were right all along..."

"What are you talking about..." Shoutmon stopped when he remembered what he told the drake back in Death Crater.

_ A digimon like you would never understand what having a human partner is like...you will die cold and alone, and NO ONE will come help you..._

After remembering, the king stayed in shock. "I..."

* * *

In the cabin I stayed in silence. A few minutes later the sound of the door opening filled my eardrums, but thinking it was Slayerdramon, it was ignored. It wasn't until my attention was caught by the voice of the being standing behind me.

"There you are..." he muttered, causing me to turn around.

"Examon, what are you doing here..?"

"...I saw what happened." he explained. There was a moment of silence between us until he approached me.

"Dorbickmon needs you..." the dragon muttered.

"No he doesn't...he even showed me he didn't..." he heard me mutter.

"That was the virus using him..." he explained, making me look up at him.

"What virus...?"

"The Shadow Virus." Examon stated, "It was inserted into him three days ago. It slowly takes control of him, from his emotions to his body and actions. It's made to completely destroy a digimon's life, and then kill him off from the inside."

"He can handle himself..." I muttered.

"That might be true, but if he dies this time, he might not come back!" Examon exclaimed.

"What do you mean..?"

"DarkKnightmon made the virus out of part of Dorbickmon's data. It knows every place where Dorbickmon's vitals are, and will then destroy his DigiCore! He's the only one who can defeat it, since it's a shadow of himself, and he can't do it if you don't snap him out of it!"

His response surprised me. There was no hint that indicated that the virus was made by DarkKnightmon. It had put on a facade so well it even fooled me. Of all things, no one deserved death, not even Dorbickmon. Despite nearly turned my back on him, there was still a bit of time left to change that.

"...let's go." the dragon watched me head for the door. We walked out of the cabin and Examon lifted me up to his shoulder. He took to the skies after giving me my Xros Loader. We found a DigiGate, which must have been opened by Shoutmon, since he's the only person along with Xros Heart and Blue Flare that have access to them, and entered inside it. We traveled through a tunnel of light towards our destination. Examon turned towards me.

"Before we arrive, I have something to give you." he muttered. Out of his palm, a DigiCore that was emanating a rainbow light appeared. One half of the orb was lighter than the other, which was a darker shade.

"W-what is this...?"

"A special DigiCore..." he told me.

"Special...?"

"It is known as the Rainbow DigiCore. It was given to me by Omegamon before he passed away, and it was given to him by Alphamon. It contains untold healing abilities." the knight explained.

"How so?"

"The lighter half can restore a digimon's injury or sickness, but the digimon will have to have suffered with that injury or sickness for over a year, whether it be a heart problem or a lost limb, it can heal and restore it completely."

"...and the darker half...?"

"...that half heals a digimon on the brink of death. But if utilized, then the life of the one who used it will be taken 48 hours after it has been used."

My eyes widened with shock, "H-how?!"

"It heals a digimon's data, but it slowly transfer's that data into whoever used the DigiCore and exchanges the user's life over the digimon that was saved. It works with the small half of data that lets humans travel here as well." he responded. Glancing down at the DigiCore, it was astonishing how much enormous power was kept inside a small orb.

"And you may only use either half once." he added.

"...for the darker half, is the death absolute?" he heard me ask.

"No, there is a way to prevent the user from dying." Examon responded.

"...what is it?" I asked again. He looked at me, slightly surprised, but the look on my face was enough explanation to him, and he responded.

"Once used, a shrine appears in Dragon Land. The one who was saved must venture in, and from the lake, must use it' medicinal water to cleanse the data from the user's body by having them drink it."

"I see..."

As we traveled deeper in the DigiGate, he changed the subject.

"Once we arrive, I must leave." he warned, "I apologize for not being of more assistance, but I have matters of my own to take care of."

"It's ok Examon, you're doing enough as it is."

We saw the exit of the DigiGate and found ourselves in the harsh blizzard, and we started searching for Shoutmon and the others.

In the cave, Slayerdramon and Shoutmon have freed most of Dorbickmon's body from the ice.

"Freezing to death..." the drake muttered, "What little atonement death has placed on me this time...leave me alone. I deserve what death has in store for me."

"You don't!" Slayerdramon exclaimed.

"A mere human can describe me so well in such little wording...a tyrannical dragon without a heart..."

"No, you're not!" Slayerdramon yelled. He and Shoutmon watched as Dorbickmon slowly started succumbing to the coldness of the ice.

"Dorbickmon hang on!" Slayerdramon rushed to chip away the rest of the ice to free the drake.

"Dorbickmon..." Shoutmon muttered. A tear developed in the king's eye as he repented his actions from that day.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I yelled at you! I was angry, and I took it out on you! You didn't deserve that, no matter how evil you are! Now fight it! I won't let you die because of my selfish act!"

Dorbickmon turned away, "Hmph...the king asking for forgiveness...just scram and leave me in the hands of death..."

"Don't say that!" they heard me yell.

Slayerdramon turned around, "Carlos!"

Jumping off of Examon's shoulder, who left the rest up to me and soared off, I sprinted over towards Dorbickmon.

"I'm sorry I turned my back on you!"

"Listen to him!" Slayerdramon yelled at him. We tried getting Dorbickmon to snap back to his senses.

"Don't let the virus destroy you completely!" he heard me yell, but he turned away.

"Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon exclaimed.

"You can't give up! That's not the dragon I know! We still have to show everyone you've changed, and I can't do it without you! I know the ferocity you harbor inside you is still there!"

In that moment, the Xros Loader emitted a bright yellow light. They watched me raise the device in the air.

"Dorbickmon, Xros Shinka!"

The light engulfed him completely, and we noticed a dark flame escape out of him as he digivolved.

"There it is! That's the virus!"

"So that's the cause of all this!" Shoutmon snarled. We watched as it started taking form, quickly becoming a bigger, muscular Dorbickmon. The only difference was that his body was black, and his eyes were blood red. He was nearly twice Dorbickmon's size and body mass, glaring down at us. Both Shoutmon and Slayerdramon armed themselves to fight the dark behemoth.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Battle In The Tundra: ShadowDorbickmon's Rampage**

The beast roared at us. I quickly moved out of the way to avoid getting caught in the chaos the battle would cause.

"Alright, time to show this virus that no one messes with a digimon's life and gets away with it!" Shoutmon prepared himself. Slayerdramon grabbed the handle of the weapon he had kept under wraps. The bandages disintegrated into nothing, revealing a huge gold blade, held together through a bursting orange aura like a chain.

"Shoryūzanpa!" he roared, and swung the sword horizontally. It shot out a wave of energy at the dark drake, who by assumption of the virus' name, is called ShadowDorbickmon. He sneered as the attack hit, and the damage was minimal.

"What?!" Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock. It rushed towards us, grabbing Slayerdramon by the face. The dragon ran outside, jumped in the air and slammed Slayerdramon into the ice.

"Gah!" he yelled in pain.

"Slayerdramon!" Shoutmon ran after the two.

"Stay back!" the dragon warned him as ShadowDorbickmon started beating him into the ground, focusing his blows on Slayerdramon's stomach.

"Gah!" the drake snarled in pain. Shoutmon summoned his microphone.

"Rowdy Rock-"

Before the king could attack, ShadowDorbickmon gripped him by the neck and hurled him onto Slayerdramon.

"Ack!" they grunted in pain. The virus started choking the two. Shoutmon gasped for air.

"Can't..."

"Breathe..." Slayerdramon finished the sentence. The choking continued until from behind me, the real Dorbickmon soared out of the cave and struck a blow to ShadowDorbickmon's face, releasing the beasts grip on the two.

"Thank you..." Slayerdramon muttered in between breaths.

"Stop...that thing..."

Dorbickmon glanced back at him, and charged into battle. Both dragons attacked with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, and both attacks collided, creating a shock wave that shook the ice as the two matched blow for blow, as well as explosions with each blast fired.

"Take him out!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. The two collided again, but ShadowDorbickmon managed to grab his counterpart by the neck and give him a strong blow to the groin, nearly paralyzing him.

"Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon ran over, sword in hand, in an attempt to assist him.

"Tenryūzanha!" he spun around, increasing his sword's speed and attacked with a vertical swing to the virus' skull, but ShadowDorbickmon blocked the attack with his palm, gripping the sword's blade.

"Damn it...!" Slayerdramon followed up with a punch to the virus' face, who merely held it off, and retaliated by grabbing the silver drake by the snout and punching him on his abdomen, the sheer force causing the silver armor Slayerdramon was wielding to crack.

"Urk!" the drake grunted in pain, and ShadowDorbickmon hurled him into a glacier.

"Gah!"

"Rowdy Rocker!" Shoutmon attacked with his mike, but the virus ducked and hit him on the stomach. When Shoutmon fell to the floor, the virus stomped on him, trying to crush the king under his foot.

"Shoutmon!" Slayerdramon started running over to him, and managed to tackle ShadowDorbickmon over, allowing Shoutmon to slip out. The virus rose to his feet and managed to flip Slayerdramon over and pin him on the ground. Dorbickmon grabbed him from behind as Shoutmon attacked with Rowdy Rocker to get the virus to release his grip.

"Get off of me!" Slayerdramon yelled. It took Dorbickmon biting down on the dark dragon's shoulder to get him to release his grip on Slayerdramon. He hit Shoutmon away and attempted to get free of Dorbickmons grip. He moved around violently as Slayerdramon went to grab his sword, but in his rampage the virus broke the top half to pieces under his foot.

"My Fragarach!" Slayerdramon yelled. ShadowDorbickmon threw Dorbickmon to the ground, but was hit in the face by an enraged Slayerdramon.

"That's for my sword, you bastard!" he roared. Dorbickmon followed up by uppercutting the virus and Slayerdramon punched him back down to the ground, crashing through the ice into the freezing water below. Their moment of rest lasted a few seconds before the drake resurfaced in front of them.

"Dragon Breath Tonic-!"

ShadowDorbickmon appeared in front of Dorbickmon and retaliated with the same attack before Dorbickmon could fire. Slayerdramon attempted to tackle him again, but the shadow charged up another Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, and to our surprise, directed it to his hand in the form of a fire ball and let it explode at point-blank range on the crack in Slayerdramon's armor, breaking it open even further.

"Gah!" the drake screamed.

"Slayerdramon!" Shoutmon ran over to Slayerdramon, who was slammed into another iceberg.

"You ok?!"

"I've...had worse..." he muttered in between breaths. His silver armor on his chest had a huge gaping hole, revealing his thinner black armor underneath.

"Just help Dorbickmon..." he told the king. Shoutmon ran over to help Dorbickmon as Slayerdramon struggled to rise to his feet. Dorbickmon was being choked by ShadowDorbickmon. As Shoutmon ran over, the virus let Dorbickmon go, and then struck both of them with a blow to their guts, quickly grabbing them by the face and plowing them through the ice.

"Shoutmon! Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. The virus quickly blasted Shoutmon away and focused on Dorbickmon as the former landed in the water.

"Shoutmon!" Slayerdramon yelled. The king quickly jumped out of the water.

"My tail is freezing!" he yelled. Slayerdramon sighed in relief as Shoutmon recovered from his cold chill. They turned to see the virus beating Dorbickmon.

"Shoutmon, you attack from above, I'll take him from the side" Slayerdramon told him the plan.

"Right..." Shoutmon nodded. The two charged at ShadowDorbickmon, and proceeded to attack. Slayerdramon landed a punch on the virus' face, and Shoutmon followed up with Rowdy Rocker, getting him to release Dorbickmon, but both attacks nonetheless still had little effect.

"Grah!" Slayerdramon punched ShadowDorbickmon again, but it quickly retaliated with a blow to the drake's stomach. We heard a squishing sound inside Slayerdramon's body.

"Slayerdramon!" we yelled.

"Urgh..." Slayerdramon kneeled over, groaning in pain as the shadow grabbed him and started crushing him in a bear hug.

"Can't...breathe..." Slayerdramon gasped. Shoutmon ran over and attacked the virus with all his might to get the drake free.

"Shout..." his vision started to fade. In anger of his failed attempts, Shoutmon digivolved and wasted no time to save Slayerdramon.

"Heavy Metal Vulcan!" he shot out two beams of fire that blasted ShadowDorbickmon away, saving Slayerdramon.

"...thank..." the drake passed out before finishing his sentence. OmegaShoutmon grabbed him and took him back to the cave, laying the drake down as he returned to the fight.

I ran over to Slayerdramon, "Are you alright?!"

He started waking up, but when he tried answering, he coughed up blood.

"You're gonna be alright..." he heard me mutter.

"Thanks..." he responded, but when he tried smiling he coughed again. Placing a hand on his stomach, he smiled weakly, but his stomach felt like it was throbbing.

"...your stomach has been ruptured..."

"Figures..." he muttered. Taking out the medical gauze from my pocket that was brought along, he watched me wrap it around his belly to keep him from bleeding any further.

"Thank you..." he smiled weakly.

"You need to get into my Xros Loader so you can fully recover..."

"I can remain out here for a little while longer, your friends need me..." he muttered.

"I know, but if you get hurt even further...at this rate, you'll die..."

"I'm sure I can be out a bit longer...don't pay me any mind, you'll need my help." he responded, cringing slightly as he sat up against the wall.

"Slayerdramon!" a voice yelled from outside. We looked over to see Ouryumon land in front of us.

"You alright?!" he asked the drake.

"I'm fine..." Slayerdramon muttered, "But I'll need your help..."

"Alright." Ouryumon lifted the drake to his feet and the two walked outside.

"Good luck..." I told them.

"There they are..." Slayerdramon told the serpent. They watched ShadowDorbickmon choke his counterpart.

"Can you stand?" Ouryumon asked.

"I can..." Slayerdramon muttered. The serpent let go of him. Slayerdramon wobbled a bit, but regained his balance. Ouryumon took out his two black swords.

"...I'm going to have to hang back this time, you'll take the front and I'll try to strike when he's open." the drake told him the plan.

"Alright." Ouryumon nodded. The two charged at him, as Ouryumon crossed his arms and released and energy wave from his swords, hitting the beast. Slayerdramon quickly followed with a Shoryūzanpa, forcing his grip on Dorbickmon open.

"Ouryumon! Go for the strike!" Slayerdramon ordered.

"Eiseryūojin!" the serpent roared, attacking with another shock wave, but it didn't make the virus cringe, shocking the two.

"What?!"

"Heh..." the virus sneered. His tone was a deeper and more sinister version of Dorbickmon's voice. "That tickled..."

"What...are you?!" Slayerdramon exclaimed.

"Your worst nightmare..."

"Heh...that's generic." Slayerdramon teased.

"Only one difference..." it growled, and before anyone could react, he grabbed a piece of Slayerdramon's broken Fragarach, and stabbed it into the drake's stomach.

"GAH!" Slayerdramon roared in pain.

"Slayerdramon!"

"I'm real!" ShadowDorbickmon laughed psychotically, as he used the edge to start cutting upwards like a saw up to Slayerdramon's lungs, and laughed every time Slayerdramon screamed.

"GAH!"

OmegaShoutmon and Ouryumon went over to help, but were blasted away by ShadowDorbickmon's Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, landing in the water. He sneered as he glanced over to Slayerdramon and used the blade to cut his spinal cord in half. The drake lost all feeling in his lower half and fell to the ground. The pure sight of it cased the virus to grin as he kneeled down and whispered into Slayerdramon's eardrum.

"You know...I've learned quite a lot about you all when I was controlling my little host. And when I'm done here, you'll have no idea how much fun I'll have with those two small digimon, what were their names? Dracomon & Gumdramon?"

"Leave...those kids alone..." Slayerdramon gasped as he coughed up blood. He reached over to his broken blade, but ShadowDorbickmon stomped on his hand, breaking Slayerdramon's wrist.

"Guh...!"

"Time to put you out of your misery..." ShadowDorbickmon lifted the drake up once again, and stabbed the blade into Slayerdramon's heart, slashing it outward from the inside, leaving a huge wound.

"Guh..." he dropped to the floor.

"Now who's next..?" the virus turned to Ouryumon, who was beyond furious.

"You...BASTARD!" Ouryumon charged at him, the latter doing the same as they collided, moving the fight underwater. Slayerdramon looked over, and watched me run over to him.

"Kid..."

Despite the risk of ShadowDorbickmon grabbing me, he watched me try to stop the bleeding from his wound. He reached over to me with his hand.

"Carlos..." he gasped, coughing up blood. "Don't...just...protect them for me..."

"Don't say that! You'll get through this! You've got to stay alive!"

"Don't...lie..." he coughed, "There's nothing...to be done..."

"There is! I won't let you die here! You're my friend!"

"And you...are mine...but..."

I stood there next to him. There's no way any one of us would let him die here after being brutally cut into. He's done nothing wrong. DarkKnightmon was our problem, not his. It was that moment that the words Examon told me echoed through my mind. Slayerdramon watched me take out that special DigiCore from my pocket and looked at it, remembering the huge risk that comes with it. If it what Examon told me was correct, then if that darker half of the orb was used to save him, then it'd cost me my life two days later. However, a feeling of confidence that Slayerdramon would be able to find the cure in time surfaced inside me. With that in mind, I broke off the darker half of the DigiCore, and it gave off it a bright light.

"That light..." Slayerdramon muttered, as he closed his eyes. The data emanating from the darker half engulfed his lower body, as it infused into him, copying Slayerdramon's data as it started restoring his body back to normal.

"What...? But how...?" he looked at me..

"Examon gave me a DigiCore...he told me it could perform a miracle...I used half of it to heal your injuries."

The DigiCore healed his spinal cord, and it slowly moved onto Slayerdramon's midsection, healing his stomach, lungs and heart, as well as closing the huge scar.

"I...I don't believe it..." he stood up, but wobbled a bit, "I don't know how to thank you..."

The moment he stood up, something hit me hard in the gut, knocking the wind out of me and caused me to collapse.

"Carlos!" Slayerdramon caught me, laying me down on his arm. He watched me start catching my breath form the attack.

"You used up your energy for that didn't you...?" he asked.

"...you could say that..."

"...why...? Dorbickmon still needs you..."

"Because...a friend is one who risks his life for others..." I told him, promptly causing blood soon after.

"Don't speak..." he told me, wiping the blood off my mouth.

"Dorbickmon...is the only one who can defeat ShadowDorbickmon...that virus...is a shadow of his former self."

"Then stay alive...he needs you to stay alive..." Slayerdramon advised. We heard the roar of Dorbickmon in pain, and witnessed him getting beat mercilessly into an iceberg by ShadowDorbickmon, who focused his blows on the digimon's abdomen, each blow causing Dorbickmon to cough up blood.

"Grah!" his face was slammed into the ice as ShadowDorbickmon jumped up and put all his weight on Dorbickmon's back as he crushed him.

"GRAH!"

OmegaShoutmon slowly rose to his feet, barely being able to stand after all the damage he's received.

"Dorbickmon...I may not be able to find the strength to continue fighting him...but that doesn't mean I can't help..."

He turned to me, "Carlos...use whatever hint of energy I have left!"

Closing his eyes, he focused his energy into his hand, and fired it towards me. It hit my Xros Loader, which started emitting a glow from the screen.

"What is...?"

_Carlos... _I heard Examon in my head.

"Examon...?"

_OmegaShoutmon has initialized a power transfer in your Xros Loader. It's not a digivolution, but it allows you to transfer a digimon's power into one of your choosing._

"I see..."

_Tell Slayerdramon and the others to give you their energy... _he told me before fading away. With that in mind, Slayerdramon watched me stand up.

"Slayerdramon, give me your energy." he heard me tell him.

"What...?"

"Do it, it's our only way to stand a chance against the virus."

He looked over to Ouryumon, who woke up from unconsciousness.

"Urgh..." the serpent groaned.

"Ouryumon! Give Dorbickmon your energy!" Slayerdramon told him.

"Hmph...don't need...to tell me twice..." the serpent growled. He closed his eyes and repeated OmegaShoutmon's process. His energy was focused into the palm of his hand and he hurled it into my Xros Loader. We turned around to see Arresterdramon and Coredramon land behind us.

"Are you guys alright?!" Coredramon asked.

"We're fine." Slayerdramon responded.

Arresterdramon looked at Ouryumon, identifying what he was doing, and turned to Coredramon.

"Let's give Dorbickmon our energy." he told Coredramon. The dragon nodded, and they joined in. Their energy went into the Xros Loader, which started glowing brighter.

"Hang in there Dorbickmon..." they heard me mutter. We watched him being thrown into the water, with ShadowDorbickmon chasing after him.

"...don't give up Dorbickmon!" Coredramon exclaimed, which was a surprise since it was the first time he was cheering for him. Despite barely finding the energy, Slayerdramon watched me walk forwards, but he stopped me.

"Don't..." Slayerdramon grabbed my arm.

"I'm fine...but my partner needs me..."

"But..."

Dorbickmon came out of the water, nearly unconscious. He was being lifted by ShadowDorbickmon, who looked into the drake's eyes for a second, and punched him away soon after.

"Give him your energy Slayerdramon!" I commanded him. ShadowDorbickmon finally stopped his ruthless beat down, and he let Dorbickmon go. He took a few steps back as Dorbickmon slouched over, barely able to stand as he groaned in pain.

"Time to end my fun..." ShadowDorbickmon growled.

"Dorbickmon!" Coredramon and Arresterdramon cried out. Slayerdramon finally gave us his energy into the Xros Loader, which emitted a brighter aura. The same aura start emanating from Dorbickmon.

"Dor...bick...mon..." OmegaShoutmon collapsed, degenerating back into Shoutmon, with Coredramon and Arresterdramon following.

"Good luck..." Gumdramon muttered.

"Kick...his butt..." Dracomon fell to the floor.

"Alright, time to fight back!" Slayerdramon watched me raise the Xros Loader in the air, "Power Transfer!"

In the sound of a dragon's roar, the accumulated energy shot out of the Xros Loader, hitting Dorbickmon dead on.

"GRAH!" he roared as his body bulked up to twice its muscle mass, as he was engulfed in a gold aura that resembled him, only it was bursting out of him like a flame.

"Amazing..." Slayerdramon's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hmph..." ShadowDorbickmon prepared himself for the second round. The two charged at each other, with Dorbickmon having an increase in speed. They collided, creating a huge ripple effect that shook the entire battlefield fiercely. Slayerdramon fell back because of it, but I managed to stay on my feet after sliding back a few yards. As the two fought, they created more shock waves that started destroying the entire arctic region, creating cracks in the ice and breaking icebergs to rubble. One of the shock waves nearly blew me away by it's sheer force, but Slayerdramon caught me from behind, keeping me on my feet. The virus attempted to punch Dorbickmon, who blocked it with his palm and delivered a blow to its face, causing the beast to be sent crashing through the ground, causing an earthquake. We were amazed by how much power was flowing through Dorbickmon, that the floor started cracking under me without my notice. I felt Slayerdramon push me forward to avoid falling in the ocean.

"Reload, Paildramon!"

Paildramon came out of the Xros Loader and caught Slayerdramon before he was submerged inside, pulling him out.

"Thank you..." Slayerdramon muttered.

ShadowDorbickmon and his counterpart stood face to face. The virus charged at the dragon.

"Dorbickmon!" he heard me yell. He glared at the virus, and started charging up a Dragon Breath Tonic Fire.

_If ShadowDorbickmon really is a shadow of his former self, then that must mean..._ an idea hatched in my mind.

"Dorbickmon! Hit him in the abdomen! If he really is a shadow of your old self, then the wound ZekeGreymon gave you back in the war is still there!"

Dorbickmon avoided the shadow, as they exchanged places. We watched as Dorbickmon summoned a smaller blade of flames, putting out its flame and revealing the miniscule blade smaller than his palm underneath. He clenched it in his fist, and started transferring his strength and fury into it. To my surprise, the flames started emanating out of the blade in his fist, and when it stopped, the blade inside gave the impression that Dorbickmon engulfed his whole fist in flames. The two flew at each other, meeting head to head.

"Your dead!" ShadowDorbickmon roared as he went for the finishing blow. Dorbickmon however, tilted his head to the right, avoiding the attack and surprising the drake as he dug his fist into the virus' abdomen.

"You'll regret...ever MANIPULATING ME!" he roared. Dorbickmon drove his attack further into the virus, proving my theory right since the wound reopened and the attack went through ShadowDorbickmon's gut.

"GRAH!" the virus roared in pain as the attack went through his entire body, slowly making his skin crack as he died in an explosion, bursting into black bits of data.

"We did it!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. Dorbickmon landed in front of us, looking down at me with a serious expression. One part of me was amazed by his power, giving him a slight smile. Surprisingly, the aura he had emanating from his body diminished in size. All that must have been the energy used in the battle. But the moment was cut off as the whole region started rumbling.

"Let's get out of here!" Slayerdramon yelled. Storing everyone except Dorbickmon into the Xros Loader, I jumped onto his palm. He soared over to where the DigiGate was, which was still open. We escaped through it, arriving back at Dragon Land. Upon arrival, he reverted back to his normal form and collapsed, unconscious from fatigue. Slayerdramon came out of the Xros Loader and picked him up. We traveled back to Dorbickmon's Castle, and Slayerdramon placed him down on the bed in his chamber. I walked back to my room, and sat down. However, the pain from before started coming back to me. My vision started to blur.

"You're still hurt from that aren't you...?" Slayerdramon asked, noticing the symptoms.

"Y...yeah..." he noticed me start losing consciousness, "I'm just glad...that..."

"Kid! Hey! Wake up!" he yelled, though it sounded like it was being slowly drowned out in my ears.

"Sorry...just exhausted..." he heard me mutter, not wanting him to worry for the time being. He sighed in relief.

"Honestly, is there anything you need, you still don't look well..."

"Some water...would be nice..."

He nodded and walked out, coming back with a jar of water.

"Here." he gave it to me, and I drank a sip before giving it back to him

"Thanks..."

"Carlos!" he exclaimed as he noticed me passing out again. Slayerdramon tried to keep me awake by shaking me. It didn't work, and his voice faded before losing consciousness.

* * *

In the dark chamber however, the bits and pieces of what remained of the virus had accumulated in the vial it had been stored, as the dark knight walked in.

"So even my virus has failed..." he told himself, but still managed to give an evil grin.

"...most unfortunate, but it still completed it's task. The huge amount of dark energy it sapped out of Dorbickmon has already joined its fellow brother. My plan flows smoothly despite the failures."

He glanced over to the dark moonlit sky, as he reflected on the past events in his mind.

_Dorbickmon...these past encounters have surprised me. You being able to achieve a sort of digivolution into your previous Ultimate Darkness Mode. And how you managed to use the energy of your so called comrades to achieve a state of even greater power. All connected to the boy you refuse to acknowledge...your strength might be increasing, but that won't be enough to defeat me. Though I'll show some bit of mercy for you...for the time being, I'll let you rest, for I still have to work out the small details of my plan. But rest assured, you and everyone else will fall before me, and I will make sure of that. My collection of dark energy is increasing, and with the remnants of the virus, I will be able to complete the Dark DigiMemory. And thanks to that boy you keep ignoring, I know who my next target will be when I decide to strike again!_

Taking one last look at the remnants of the virus, which infused itself into the small chip he had in his arm, he walked away, giving one last laugh.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'd like to point out one thing. In this chapter, Dorbickmon emanates an aura of energy after the energy was given to him. it resembled his Dragon Form (Darkness Mode with his Whole Army). I'm sure many have heard of the new Royal Knight Gankuumon, who seems to emanate a dragon aura as well. I'd like to clarify, this chapter, as well as most of the entire story, was scripted months ago, since January. Gankuumon was announced around the time I finished scripting the last chapter, so the fact that he was given a similar ability is a coincidence. For this chapter in particular,the scripting was finished in March, 7 months before Gankuumon was even heard of. Also, Dorbickmon's aura is all the amount of energy that was given to him, and as such diminishes the longer he's in that power boost. It's not a living thing, and cannot be used as an attack like Gankuumon's is.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: A Near Death Experience: A Friends Parting**

"...ugh..."

Opening my eyes slowly, I regained my vision and looked around, seeing Slayerdramon next to me. He was asleep, and by the look in his eyes, he must have stayed awake all night and just barely had given in to his sleep a few minutes ago. He woke up to the sound of me getting off of the bed in my room.

"Hey..." his eyes winced. Upon standing, he saw me quickly collapse on the floor again.

"Carlos!" he rose to his feet and picked me up.

"I'm fine...what happened...?"

"You were unconscious for the rest of the afternoon yesterday and all of the morning today." the dragon explained.

"Oh..." he noticed that my body was too weak to stand up.

"Please, let me help you..." Slayerdramon muttered. Despite it being oblivious to him, it was obvious to me that the effects of the darker half of the Rainbow DigiCore was taking its toll on me, and unfortunately, those 48 hours of time were shortened due to my unconscious state.

"Slayerdramon...there isn't...much time left...but I'll cut to the point...when I healed you...the damage you took...only shifted to me..."

"What?!" his eyes widened with shock.

"You have...until sunrise tomorrow...to..." he noticed my vision fading. Slayerdramon watched me start to pass out again.

"No! Kid, wake up!" he yelled, trying to shake me awake. It worked for a few seconds, and allowed me to finish my sentence.

"To find...the shrine..."

"Shrine...?"

"A shrine...has appeared in Dragon Land...where the cure is..." he heard me mutter.

"No...kid, please hold on." he calmed me down and immediately ran out the door, holding me in his arm. He headed out the valley and once he ran out the fork in the road leading to Dorbickmon's Castle, he ran towards the forest.

"Where is it?" he asked.

"It's..." I started passing out mid-sentence, but Slayerdramon kept me awake by shaking me.

"Come on, don't pass out on me!" he gritted his teeth.

"Somewhere...around here..."

He quickly looked around high and low for the shrine as he ran through the forest. Every passing moment my body was getting weaker. The sun started setting, but Slayerdramon didn't lose hope. The drake continued searching in the darkness of night.

"Come on..." he growled under his teeth. Eventually, we found a small temple covered in brushes of leaves in front of us. The bricks were very worn down, and were a dark cream color.

"That must be it!" he ran over to the entrance, but upon opening the door he was blown back by an unseen force.

"Gah!" he fell to the floor. His eyes widened with shock. "What is-?"

"Only you can go in there..." I muttered, breaking into a coughing fit. He glanced back at me.

"But-!"

"Don't worry...you'll make it...I know you will..."

"O...ok..." he looked at me, completely worried. The drake set me down on the ground next to a tree, and went into the shrine.

"Good luck...Slayerdramon..." my vision slowly faded before passing out once again.

Inside, Slayerdramon ran down the long flight of stairs, speeding up every second that passed.

"Got...to make it..." he muttered, catching his breath. Hours passed as he continued trekking, stopping to catch his breath.

"Can't...stop..." he gasped, "He...needs...that...cure..."

Slayerdramon forced himself to continue running, eventually reaching the bottom of the staircase, and entered the stone door.

"Where is that cure..." he looked around, as he walked inside. The roof of the room was nowhere in sight since the room itself was so tall. On the other side of the room, he saw another door.

"It has to be in there!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. He ran towards the door, but was stopped when a huge gray machine digimon landed in front of him. It was a cyborg dragon with a dark gray head and black eyes with no iris. He wielded a huge claw on his left hand and another which hid a missile port on his right hand. There was a skull symbol on its kneecaps. All the armor on the digimon was connected by a blue and red wires which connected into the cyborg's stomach, which had a socket on it. On his back were two huge silver cannons and there was a dark gray gun port with two small barrels in between the two. His tail had the tip cut off, but it was all mechanized, except for his feet, which were dark gray. The digimon glared down at Slayerdramon

"No! Not now Machinedramon!" Slayerdramon yelled. Machinedramon roared and shot out two blasts of energy from its cannons. Slayerdramon avoided it, and attacked with Shoryūzanpa, but since his Fragarach was broken, its power was decreased. It hit the machine's arm, making a dent. The cyborg roared again and kept firing, destroying much of the room into rubble.

"Grr! I won't let you stop me!" Slayerdramon roared as he ran close to the beast, and curled the broken blade around Machindramon's arm.

"Koryūzanba!" he ripped off its right arm with his broken Fragarach. Machinedramon roared in pain, and hit Slayerdramon with its other arm.

"Guh!" Slayerdramon was hit onto the wall, but stood up and prepared himself again.

"I won't let you waste my time!" he ran up to him, jumped up and stabbed the Fragarach into Machindramon's skull. It roared in pain as it disintegrated into data. The door slowly opened, and Slayerdramon ran inside. There was a huge lake in the center.

"This must be it..." Slayerdramon took out three bottles he had brought along and filled them up to the brim. However, when he finished he noticed the lake started glistening, which meant one thing. Dawn was breaking.

"No...no!" he grabbed the bottles and quickly ran out. Slayerdramon started his trek upwards towards the entrance.

"Please...let me make it in time!" he exclaimed. It took a few hours, but he noticed the bright light of day that signaled the exit. When he reached the entrance, he saw Shoutmon, Gumdramon and Dracomon with their human partners. Slayerdramon glanced around.

"W...where is...?"

Shoutmon walked up to him, tilting his head down.

"He's gone..." the king muttered

"N-no..." Slayerdramon walked up to them, "I have the cure..."

He fed the water contained in the first bottle, but it had no effect. "No..." the drake attempted again with the second bottle, with the same result.

"Please no..." he tried one last time using the third bottle. However, it had no effect like the first two. His eyes widened with shock.

"No...damn it!" Slayerdramon ran towards the desert, not stopping.

"Slayerdramon!" Dracomon exclaimed, watching him go. "It's not your fault..."

They turned back in grief.

"To think he'd sacrifice his own life for a digimon's..." Shoutmon muttered. All of them stayed silent as the sun settled in the sky. However the silence was broken when a single sound was uttered.

_...cough_

They looked over, "Carlos...?"

I jolted awake, gasping for breath and choking.

"That water's thick..." the heard me mutter. Looking over, Shoutmon, Gumdramon and the others ran up to me.

"Scare us half to death why don't you!" Shoutmon scolded me in a smile.

"Sorry...but Slayerdramon..."

Looking around, there was no sign of the drake.

"Where's Slayerdramon...?"

Shoutmon looked over to the desert, which was in the northward direction from where the shrine was.

"He ran that way after he failed to save you, or at least he thought he failed." the king explained.

"I see..."

"If he keeps heading that way, he'll reach Sandstorm City." Shoutmon added. They watched me stand up and start heading in that direction.

"I see..."

"Hey." Shoutmon called out to me, "You'll need this." He threw my Xros Loader over to me. He and the others watched me catch the device in my hands.

"Thanks."

"Good luck." Taiki told me.

"Thanks, Taiki." I responded, and set out to find Slayerdramon. The land was completely arid and dry, not to mention the temperature rose tremendously since the desert was north of Dragon Land, unlike Vampire Land, which was to the east. The harbor where SkullGreymon took me was to the other side of the kingdom, on the other side of the world. Dragon Land as well as the other Kingdoms, were situated around the Digital World like continents. They connected in a center point on one side of the world, which was where Shoutmon's Castle was located. The hot weather of this desert irritated me, since it was not my favorite kind of climate.

"Damn...it's so hot. And I'm not even close to the city..." It was luck that my Xros Loader was with me, giving me an idea.

"Reload, Paildramon!"

Out of my Xros Loader, Paildramon appeared, kneeling down and bowing at me. Despite his new loyalty, it was a bit sad that he didn't strike up conversations with me anymore. Jumping onto his hand, he placed me on his shoulder.

"Fly north, there should be a city a few miles away."

He nodded and took to the sky. After a few hours of flying, we saw the city in the distance, surrounded by a huge wall that protected it from the constant sandstorms. We entered through the gate, and saw a view of the whole city. It was built in the manner of a staircase, with each building being elevated higher and higher up the closer the buildings were to the wall. The whole town was surrounding a huge water fountain in the center. There was also a lot more grass and trees inside than one might have thought.

"It's beautiful..." I muttered, but we couldn't admire it for long. Slayerdramon was somewhere in this city.

"We'll split up to cover more ground. Paildramon, take the west side of the city, I'll take the east side and we'll meet in the fountain in one hour."

Paildramon nodded in agreement and we both split up. We searched high and low for him, checking every alleyway, street, corner and shop, but there was no sign of him.

"Damn it...someone must have seen him..."

Looking around, a digimon getting thrown out of what looked like a bar caught my eye. He was quite big in size, being an orange dinosaur with blue striped marks on parts of his lower jaw, as well as on the back of his neck and on his legs and shins. He was bipedal, and had brown hair that was spiked outward. He wielded huge red armor with white stripes that boasted wing shaped boosters on the dragon's shoulders. They had three white gun ports on the top wing, with a blue orb on the center of each wing, which matched the one he had on the armor covering his chest. On his left arm, he wielded a gray revolver on the digimon's left hand. He had orange eyes and a gray metal helmet on his head with three horns on it. One was situated on top of his snout, and the other two were on the sides of his head. Only his right arm was free of any weapon, and had a spike on his shoulder matching his orange scales, as well as two protruding out of each side of his cheeks. The tip of his tail was black.

"Maybe that RizeGreymon knows something..."

I walked up to him. The dinosaur stood up, wobbling. It looked like he was a bit drunk.

"Hey." he heard me call out to me. The RizeGreymon looked at me.

"What do you want?" he asked. Only one of his eyes was visible in my sight when he glanced at me because of his helmet.

"I'm looking for a friend. Have you seen a Slayerdramon around here?"

"Yeah I've seen him." RizeGreymon responded in an angry tone, "The jerk had the gall to just run into me and run off!"

"I see...sorry about that. He's been through a lot these past few days. Do you know where he went?"

RizeGreymon looked over and pointed with once of his claws.

"He ran towards the center of the town." he explained.

"Oh, ok...thanks again."

He watched me run off, not paying much attention to the digimon.

"Weird kid..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. Arriving at the center of town, Paildramon was already there waiting for me. He was sitting down, meditating.

"Find anything?" he heard me ask, walking up to him. He opened his eyes, looked down at me, and nodded in disagreement.

"Oh...ok, thanks again."

He was stored in my Xros Loader on that note. Looking around to see if what the RizeGreymon told me was true, in one of the alleyways Slayerdramon was sitting down, in what looked like a state of sorrow.

"Slayerdramon..." I was about to walk over to him, when Ouryumon landed in front of him.

"Ouryumon..."

Hiding behind a few crates nearby, they were unaware of me listening in to their conversation.

"There you are..." Ouryumon told him, but Slayerdramon didn't look at the serpent.

"Leave me be..." the drake muttered. Ouryumon frowned.

"It wasn't your fault..." the serpent tried to cheer him up.

"Yes, it was...I failed to save him..." Slayerdramon muttered. The serpent crossed his arms.

"You can't beat yourself up. These things happen, you know that." Ouryumon responded.

"But I had a chance to stop it!" Slayerdramon snapped, "I could've saved him! And yet I couldn't..."

"Slayerdramon..."

"Just leave me alone!" the drake yelled and ran out.

"Slayerdramon!" Ouryumon chased after him.

"Slayerdramon...if only you knew..." I looked over and noticed he left his broken Fragarach on the ground. Hatching an idea, it was in my Xros Loader while the two were away.

"I hope Ouryumon can find him and calm him down..."

While they were busy, it bought me time to search the west side of town, looking for a store that had the materials needed to fix the sword. Eventually, my search lead me to a small shop near the top of the town. Walking inside There are a few aisles, but nothing huge.

"Anyone here?" my voice echoed slightly.

"Be right there!" another voice responded from the flight of stairs behind the counter. A digimon walked down the staircase. It was a wolf who resembled BlackMachGaogamon, but the differences were that his fur was blue and white and his belt was red and silver instead of black and gold. He also looked a bit older than BlackMachGaogamon.

"Huh, fancy seeing a human here..." he muttered.

"Do you have anything that could fix this?" he saw me take the Fragarach out of the Xros Loader. After giving it to him, he examined it.

"Hm...looks pretty beat up, but I might have enough material for it to be repaired." he responded.

"Ok, thanks. How much will it cost?" he heard me ask, knowing it wouldn't be for free.

"For the material, around a Gigabyte." he responded. He watched me place yellow diamond containing a lot of money on the counter from the Xros Loader.

"Will this Gigabyte cover it?"

His jaw nearly hit the floor in surprise, "Y-yes!"

I handed him the Gigabyte, telling him to keep the change. In gratitude, MachGaogamon gave me the materials and escorted me to the local blacksmith, which was a Vulcanusmon. Vulcanusmon was a digimon with eight arms, holding a different weapon in each. The weapons were two blades, two bats, two maces, a hammer and a wrench-like object, all made of silver metal. He wore red pants and a cream colored drape with a belt. His head was protected with a huge helmet that was clear, so I still saw his face. He had red hair, and red eyes. His forehead was covered in bandages and his mouth was covered with an air-breathing tube, probably connected to the huge cannon on his chest. Giving him the broken Fragarach, he went to work straight away. It took the rest of the day, but he reforged it completely.

"There you go, kid." Vulcanusmon handed the Fragarach back into my possession.

"Thanks!"

Paying him for his services, he watched me walk off. By that time the day had vanished and it was nighttime.

"Damn...Slayerdramon could be anywhere..."

Knowing there was no place to go, the only place to walk back to was MachGaogamon's shop.

"Hey! How'd it go?" he asked.

"Perfectly, he reforged it completely."

"Good."

"Yeah, but I'll have to find Slayerdramon tomorrow...right now I need to finds a place to stay..."

"You could stay here." MachGaogamon gave a slight smile. The offer was a bit surprising.

"You sure? I don't want to be a bother..."

"It's no trouble. And it's the least I can do after you gave me the Gigabyte." he responded.

"Alright, thanks."

MachGaogamon took me upstairs to a small room he had inside. It was empty, with only a bed and a window, but it was nice and simple. I sat down and looked outside, noticing Slayerdramon walking slowly towards the center of the city. That alone made me stand up and run outside after telling MachGaogamon that I'd return later. Following Slayerdramon, he led me back to the alleyway he was in to begin with. Hiding behind the same crates from before, the sound of his crying reached my ears.

"Carlos...I'm so sorry..."

Summoning every inch of courage, it was time to confront him about the subject.

"It's not your fault. These things happen."

He quickly rose his head, "Carlos...?"

"Hi..."

"Kid!" he hugged me, "You...how did you...?"

"The water you gave me worked a few minutes after you left."

"I see..." he responded. There was a moment of silence but it was broken by me.

"Slayerdramon...I think we need to stay away from each other for a while..."

"What?! Why?!" he looked at me in disbelief. Out of my Xros Loader, his Fragarach was given back to him, and he heard me explain the situation.

"This whole incident with ShadowDorbickmon...you and Ouryumon shouldn't have been involved in it. The digimon who made that virus...he was after us, not you...I think that we should stay away from each other for a while so he doesn't target you next, or Ouryumon..."

Slayerdramon looked down at the ground. As he thought about it, he responded after a moment of silence.

"I understand..." the digimon nodded.

"We'll still be friends though..."

He looked at me, with a slight smile. "Right..."

With one last hug, we parted ways. Slayerdramon watched me pass by Ouryumon, who had seen our conversation and head back to MachGaogamon's shop. The wolf was already asleep since the sound of his snoring could be heard from the store. Locking the front door for him and walking up to the guest room, the day was exhausting, and it was about time for a good night's sleep. MachGaogamon's snoring wasn't as loud as Dorbickmon's, so it was easy to fall asleep. The next morning he walked in to see me getting ready to leave.

"Hey, how'd it go?" he asked.

"I told him we need some time away. There's someone who has it out for me, and I didn't want him to become a victim"

"I see..." he nodded in agreement.

"Thanks for letting me stay here MachGaogamon."

"Anytime."

I gave him a hug, and left the shop. Reloading Paildramon after exiting the city, he placed me on his shoulder and took to the skies. A few hours of flying in the southward direction, the temperature cooled down and the terrain turned back into grassland.

"Dragon Land..."

We flew back to the valley Dorbickmon's Castle is located in. We landed at the castle gates to be greeted by Dracomon.

"You're back!" he hugged me, "How'd it go?"

I looked down at him, and explained everything.

"I see..." he responded, and sighed. "I'm gonna miss him..."

"So am I..."

"Oh, and Shoutmon wants to see you. He's inside." Dracomon responded.

Walking inside, the king was looking at the horizon from the balcony on the second floor. He turned back to face me.

"You wanted to see me?" he saw me walk up to him.

"Yes..." Shoutmon nodded. We admired the horizon for a few moments, before he changed the subject.

"...you came back to help Dorbickmon...even when he hit you..."

"...I remembered his life was horrible, and that I wanted to help him get a second chance."

"I'm glad..." he smiled, "That's why...I think I found a way to help you..."

"What do you mean...?" I asked.

"Every twenty-five years, there is a tournament held in the digital world where all sorts of digimon gather to show their strength. It's shown worldwide, and it's the biggest event ever held." Shoutmon explained.

"What does that have to do with us...?"

"Because this time, it's my turn to host it with Taiki and all the other members of Xros Heart. But most importantly, Kiriha is entering." the king explained. My eyes widened with surprise.

"This is quite possible your only chance to show everyone in the Digital World that Dorbickmon's changed and deserves a second chance. And if you succeed, then maybe they will all move on with what's happened back in the war and he and all the other Death Generals will be able to move on."

I looked down, thinking it over. After a long moment of thought, my attention turned back to him with a response.

"When is it?"

"In five months." he replied.

"Alright, that gives us time to train..."

"...good luck." he muttered. On that note, he told me good-bye and left, heading back to his castle. The following day was quiet. While walking down the halls, someone knocked on the castle doors. Pushing one door open slightly, there was a small digimon that resembled a snow bear with a green helmet, boots and some armor waiting. He was carrying a mailbag.

"Delivery for you!" he exclaimed, and gave me a letter. It was hard to choose what was more surprising; the fact that there was a package addressed to me, or the fact that he found Dorbickmon's home. I opened the letter and read it in silence.

_ Carlos...I've thought long and hard about what you told me. I understand why you want keep me and Ouryumon safe. I've experienced a situation like this in the past. But we can handle ourselves, and nothing will stop us from helping you if you need it. As for us, we've arrived in a small town in Honey Land. No matter what happens to either of us, we'll help you out whenever you need us, just send a message. May we meet again someday._

_ -Slayerdramon_

"Slayerdramon..."

Looking over to see the Kumamon leaving, he noticed me running over to him and stopped.

"Wait!"

Somewhere in Honey Land, Slayerdramon had just finished his daily training session with Ouryumon.

"My Fragarach, it's stronger than ever..." he muttered, noticing the stronger power it possessed than before. As they walked back to the village, Kumamon found the two and ran towards them.

"Mr. Slayerdramon!" he called out to him. The drake turned around.

"Yes?"

"I have a letter for you!" Kumamon told him and handed him his package before running off. Slayerdramon opened it and read it in silence, with Ouryumon looking behind his shoulder.

_If the situation ever happens where you are hunted by the digimon that wants Dorbickmon and the rest of us dead, then remember his name: DarkKnightmon. He's the most dangerous digimon we've faced. Be cautious if he goes after you. The guest room is always open for you two. Good luck wherever you are..._

_ -Carlos_

Slayerdramon smiled, "Thanks kid..." He and Ouryumon walked back to the village.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: A Dorumon On The Run**

From that point on, the focus was tethered to a single subject; the tournament. Even before it was mentioned, Dorbickmon himself was training by himself somewhere isolated from the rest of the group, and even with the news of the tournament, he was very reluctant to let his moments of training in silence be wasted away. However there was one digimon that had a hint of influence in him; Dracomon. As small as he was, he wanted to help Dorbickmon by fighting him, even if he was weaker than him. Surprisingly, Dorbickmon accepted the offer. The reason was probably because he wanted to humiliate Dracomon after what happened when he was a Death General. Day after day, Dracomon charged into battle against him, always losing. However, that didn't stop him. He kept standing and charging again, always finding the strength to keep going. The routine kept repeating itself for three months. And it was on the eighteenth day of that month that the routine changed in a slight way.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Dorbickmon shot out two blasts of fire from the cannons on his chest. Coredramon avoided the attack and exhaled a burst of blue flames from his mouth. Dorbickmon blocked it with his bare palm and delivered a blow to his face, knocking him into a tree.

"Guh!" Coredramon grunted in pain. He struggled to get up. The two have been fighting for hours, and Coredramon was beyond exhausted.

"Hmph...is that really everything you can muster?" the general scoffed, turning his back to walk away.

"Wait!" Coredramon called out to him. The dragon stopped in his tracks and turned to the digimon.

"Let's...keep fighting...!" Coredramon muttered. A few seconds later, he started emanating a dark blue light, surprising Dorbickmon.

"Rob..." I placed my hand on his shoulder and he turned around. The pure sight of Coredramon shocked him.

"Coredramon...?" he wondered. However, it didn't take him long to realize what might be happening, and he raised his Xros Loader in the air.

"Coredramon, Chou Shinka!"

Surprisingly, the assumption was spot on. Coredramon was engulfed in the light he was emanating.

"He's digivolving again!" Rob exclaimed.

Coredramon grew in size, now being half Dorbickmon's height. He now resembled a dark blue dragon with a cyan underbelly, which reached down to his legs. His cranium was now silver as steel with red markings above and below his citrus colored eyes. He adorned two small red horns on the top of his snout, and the horns already existing on the back of his head grew longer and were now a deep orange color. They also started growing on the side of his head, but were of shorter length. He also now boasted a steel plate of armor on his chest with similar red markings on it. His arms and legs grew more muscular, as his claws were now a golden color, matching the two golden orbs he held in his palms. His wings and tail grew to be longer than his own body, with a small brush of red hair running from the back of his head to his tail. And along with the steel lance protruding from the center where his wings meet, he had gained smaller wings on his forearms which had a red striped pattern to them.

"Chou Shinka, Wingdramon!"

"Wow..." I was in awe of Dracomon's new form.

"Blaze Sonic Breath!" he exhaled a burst of flames that traveled at such a blistering speed that Dorbickmon barely could defend as the attack hit.

"Grah...!" the force of it made him slide back a few yards. Wingdramon chased after him and slammed into Dorbickmon. The general held him back, but Wingdramon kept increasing his speed.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Dorbickmon blasted him away onto a tree. Wingdramon grunted in pain, but still rose to his feet. The evolution didn't last very long. Wingdramon's adrenaline faded and his exhaustion caught up to him. He collapsed on the floor and degenerated into Dracomon, losing consciousness.

"Dracomon!" Rob ran over, with me following. He picked up the unconscious dragon and carried him back to the castle. Dorbickmon merely brushed off the injury and walked away in the opposite direction. I was about to follow Rob when the sound of someone crying out was heard.

"Help!"

"Huh?!"

Looking over to the forest path, a small digimon was running over. He mainly had purple fur all over his body, but there was white fur on his snout, hands, feet and midsection. His claws were black, as well as the small bat wings he had on his back. His eyes were amber colored and the back of his ears had black stripes on them to the tip. His tail was almost as long as he was. What was interesting was that he had a red jewel on his forehead. He hid behind me, trembling in fear.

"What the...?"

"There he is!" another gruff voice was heard. From the same path, three digimon were running in this direction. They all looked the same. They all wore black armor on their body, as well as a belt of pockets around their chest. The tips of their claws and tail were sharpened to the point of a knife. They wielded a small dagger in their hands, and wore some sort of red scope lens on one eye and a magnifying glass on the other. They wore a helmet to conceal their head and had knives protruding out of their shoulders.

"Alright, hand the Dorumon over!" one of them ordered. Dorumon looked over with an expression of fear.

"And why should I?!" I retorted. The other two prepared themselves for a possible battle.

"That Dorumon was trespassing on private property, and saw some things he shouldn't have! We're here to make sure he doesn't blab to anyone, especially the authorities!"

Dorumon trembled in fear even more at the thought of what they'd do to him if he was handed over.

"Please don't give me over to them..." he muttered.

"He might have been wandering and didn't know any better!" he watched me defend him from the digimon.

"Hmph, that's what they all say! Get him, boys!" their leader ordered. The other two digimon charged into battle at a blinding speed.

"Well, one thing's for sure. You're trespassing on private property now as well, and we aren't as forgiving to digimon who want to kill! Reload, Paildramon!"

The digimon came out of the Xros Loader and blocked the other two's weapons with his gauntlets. Dorumon was astonished by Paildramon's speed.

"He...stopped Sealsdramon's attack..." the digimon muttered.

"So their name's Sealsdramon..."

Paildramon quickly ducked and hit them with a low kick, sweeping the two off their feet and followed up with an uppercut to one's neck and hitting the other away. As the Sealsdramon fell, the spike on Paildramon's gauntlet started glowing as it grew into a lance.

"Sting Strike!" he drove the blade through the falling Sealsdramon's chest, vaporizing him into data. The other two Sealsdramon were shocked to see their comrade beaten so easily.

"One down." Paildramon muttered, giving them a serious look.

"Grr...!" the leader snarled, and both of them rushed at Paildramon.

"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon fired rounds of energy bullets from his blaster cannons at them, but they swiftly avoided the onslaught and ran up close to him.

"Death Behind!" one attacked from behind while the other from in front, aiming their weapons at Paildramon's chest. However, he took to the skies and avoided the two, who crashed into each other.

"Desperado Blaster!"

The leader Sealsdramon moved swiftly and avoided the attack. However his subordinate wasn't as lucky, and perished in the onslaught of bullets, angering the leader even further. Paildramon landed in front of us, with his blade ready.

"We'll give you ten seconds to run away." the leader heard me offer.

"You...!" the Sealsdramon snarled, preparing his weapon again.

"Very well..."

Paildramon and Sealsdramon charged at each other, and the two attacked with their weapons. However, Sealsdramon's weapon was off by a few centimeters, merely scratching Paildramon's abdomen, while Paildramon's lance cut through the digimon's chest.

"Gah!" he cried out, and vanished into data, joining the other two. The whole situation caused me to let out a deep sigh.

"You try to be reasonable..."

Paildramon walked back towards us. He was in pain, but could handle it. He was stored back into the Xros Loader.

"Well, you don't have to worry about those three anymore!"

"T-thank you!" Dorumon responded with a hug.

He was invited into the castle to rest. At the same time, Dracomon woke up from unconsciousness.

"Urgh..."

"Oh good, you're awake!"

"What happened...?"

"You digivolved again." I responded, making the two look over.

"I did...?"

"Yep. You had a bit of an adrenaline rush, and it sure took Dorbickmon for a surprise."

Dracomon looked away, blushing a bit.

"So who's the new digimon?" Rob asked, pointing to Dorumon, who hid behind me.

"Oh right. Rob, Dracomon, meet Dorumon."

Dorumon looked at them, and Dracomon got up and walked over, extending a hand.

"Nice to meet you."

Dorumon slowly and carefully approached him, and the two shook hands.

"So how'd you end up in this neck of the woods?"

"I was...being chased by some Sealsdramon..." he muttered.

"What did they mean when they said you saw things you shouldn't have?"

Dorumon walked over and sat down. He explained, "Well...I was wandering through Cyber Land, when I came upon a road I hadn't traveled through before. My curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to check it out. Eventually, I came upon a small factory near the docks. I noticed the gate open so I snuck in, and inside I saw those three Sealsdramon beating up another digimon. I watched in horror as they beat him into unconsciousness, walking back into a crate. Upon opening it, I noticed it was filled with different types of Chrome DigiZoid. I had heard a few days ago that a huge shipment of the armor had gone missing."

"I heard that as well...guess they were the thieves."

"Yeah...but it wasn't the whole thing. When they noticed me, the chased after me, shouting stuff about not letting me get away now that I saw the so called 'stash'..."

"So you actually caught them in the act, and they wanted to shut you up to save themselves..."

"That's what it seems to be..." Dorumon muttered.

"Let's just hope that they didn't have any friends..."

"Yeah..."

"You can rest here for the night..." I told Dorumon, who's head perked up.

"R-really?!"

"You'll be safer here than out there..."

"Thank you..."

That night however, the assumption was soon proved to be false. Another Sealsdramon arrived in a different building, which was made of rusted steel with patches on the sides, broken windows and shrouded in smog from the smoke coming out of it due to the machinery being active. He went inside and ran into a small room on the second floor used for the oversight of production.

"Sir!" the Sealsdramon kneeled down in respect. A shadow was cast over the digimon he was talking to, hiding his identity.

"Ah...I assume you have the armor ready...?" it sinisterly asked.

"Unfortunately, the three Sealsdramon that were in charge of that factory have been killed, sir!"

"Killed...? By who...?"

"A boy and his Paildramon, sir!"

"Interesting...I assume they know about our little heist..." it glowered, "I guess if you want something done...you have to do it yourself..."

The digimon rose to his feet and started to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing. I have no further use for you, so you are hereby relieved from your duties..." it responded one last time before leaving, as the only sounds heard were the metal clanking of the machinery.

The following morning, Dorumon was the first to wake up. As he walked across the corridors of the castle, he bumped into Dorbickmon's leg, who turned around and looked down at him, glaring.

"S-sorry...Dorbickmon." he muttered.

The drake ignored him and walked onward, leaving Dorumon alone, who looked down as if he did something wrong.

"Don't mind him. That's just typical Dorbickmon."

Dorumon looked back, "Oh, morning Carlos..."

"Morning, sleep well?" I asked.

"Not really...I can't help but worry about the possibility of their being more Sealsdramon...or worse..."

"Don't worry..." he saw me smile, "I took that into consideration and messaged an old friend of mine to come over so he can help."

"Thank you...I don't know how to repay you all..."

"You don't have to. You were in trouble. We didn't need a reason to help you."

Dorumon stayed silent, and responded with a hug. Most of the entire day was spent with little to no activity. Dorumon stayed inside the castle to be safe from anyone who could take him. He walked around most of the time, when he stopped and noticed me talking with another digimon.

"Thanks for coming Shoutmon." I told him.

"You wanted something...?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well...it's a long shot but...do you think Bagramon kept a feed of your battles against the Death Generals?"

"Probably...but the Bagra Empires headquarters was almost completely destroyed. The ruins are still there though..." the king explained.

"If it's not too much work...do you think you can go over to the ruins and try to find the feed that had your fights with Dorbickmon? I'd like to study Kiriha's battle strategies from that time to get a look at what we'll be up against."

"It'll be a long shot, but I'll try." he responded. Dorumon walked up as Shoutmon left.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"The king of the Digital World." he heard me respond. Dorumon's eyes widened with surprise.

"You know the king?!" he exclaimed.

"We all do. He's a good friend of ours."

"Wow..."

The night fell quickly, and the patience grew thin pretty quickly.

"How much longer is he gonna keep us waiting..?" Dracomon asked.

"I don't know...he should be here by now..."

"Yes, he should..." another voice responded. It took a few seconds for everyone to realize it was Slayerdramon who responded.

"Slayerdramon!"

"Hey!" we all exchanged a hug, as he turned to Dorumon, who hid behind us, "Is he the digimon who needed help?"

"Yep, that's Dorumon." Dracomon responded. The digimon stayed behind us.

"Don't worry...I'm not gonna hurt you..." Slayerdramon reassured him. Dorumon slowly came out of hiding and bowed respectfully.

"So where's Dorbickmon?" Slayerdramon asked.

"He'll be back later."

"Ok..."

While Slayerdramon was filled in on the situation, Dorumon went outside to get some fresh air and take in the night sky.

"To think they are doing this all for me..." he muttered. As he sat there, his head jolted up when he heard the clanking of what sounded like metal footsteps. It filled him with fear the closer they got. Dorumon ran inside.

"Someone's here!"

"Damn...ok. Dracomon, take Dorumon to the farthest room in the castle and hide!" Slayerdramon ordered.

"Right!" Dracomon responded and grabbed Dorumon by his hand and ran off, with Rob following. That moment, the front gate was blasted open as smoke filled the room.

"Nice place..." a half robot sounding voice responded.

"Who are you?!" Slayerdramon growled as he grabbed his Fragarach.

"Give me the Dorumon..." it snarled.

"No way in hell!" Slayerdramon retorted.

"That's too bad..." the digimon muttered as the smoke cleared, revealing the digimon's appearance. He was a mechanical dragon clad in crimson armor, with black armor on his legs neck stomach and arms which had a red grid pattern to it. He had a horn on his snout and two on the back of his head. He wielded two steel cannons on his back, as well as a claw on his left hand. His eyes were a deep red color, with the slits of a dragon. On his right hand was a missile hatch shaped like a spear. There was no part to his body that was not protected by armor.

"Chaosdramon?!" Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock, "What do you want with Dorumon?!"

"The kid knows about my little heist, so I need to get rid of him to save face."

"Over my dead body!" Slayerdramon snarled.

"That can be arranged! Hyper Mugen Cannon!" Chaosdramon fired a huge energy beam from the cannons on his back.

"Look out!"

Slayerdramon avoided the attack as the beam hit the outer wall of the castle's interior, exploding in a blinding light. When the light faded, the result was nearly a quarter of the castle being obliterated. The sheer power of the cannon shocked me.

"Oh no..."

"Tenryūzanha!" Slayerdramon attacked with a vertical swing, but Chaosdramon blocked the blade with his arm.

"What?!"

Chaosdramon sneered, "Nice armor, huh? This Red DigiZoid armor strengthens my defensive power!"

The cyborg hit Slayerdramon away, hitting him into a column, which fell down causing a chain reaction as the rest followed.

"Heh...this place could use some remodeling..." the cyborg smirked.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Chaosdramon quickly avoided a burst of flames, fired by Dorbickmon.

"Dorbickmon! Stay back!" Slayerdramon exclaimed.

"So, this is the home of the notorious Fire-Fury General...interesting..."

"You trespass here of all places..." Dorbickmon snarled.

"Only because a Dorumon I'm looking for decided to waltz in here..." Chaosdramon growled, "Though your actions suggest you won't hand him over."

"Of course not!" Slayerdramon retorted, "Shoryūzanpa!"

"Tyrant Collbrande!"

Both attacks hit Chaosdramon on his shoulder, and although it left a dent on his armor, the red grid on his armor started flashing, repairing the injury.

"Hmph..." Chaosdramon frowned, "As much as I'd love to keep playing with you, if you won't hand the Dorumon over, then I'll just have to do away with you all..."

He punched Slayerdramon away into another wall, which collapsed. Dorbickmon charged at him and went in with a punch to Chaosdramon's face. The cyborg ducked and with his right arm, gave Dorbickmon a strong blow to the side of his head, hitting him into a wall. The sheer force knocked the dragon out. He then opened the hatch in his right arm to reveal a metallic missile attached to a bomb.

"Heh...this bomb, attached to a missile of my creation, will decimate anything within a five mile radius. I'll come back later to see the damage done. Nice knowing you all!" he laughed as he ran off. The bomb started counting down from sixty seconds at an alarmingly fast speed.

"No!" Slayerdramon ran over and attempted to get rid of the bomb, but it attached itself to the ground as the counter went down to thirty. He started hitting the bomb with everything he had, slashing at it even with his Fragarach, but the bomb was not fazed as it started counting down from ten.

"No..." Slayerdramon muttered.

"Dorbickmon, wake up!" I exclaimed, trying to shake him awake. If he could use his Burning the Dragon technique to bury the bomb underground, then the damage would be lessened, but he wouldn't budge. Chaosdramon must have hit a nerve in Dorbickmon's head and given him a concussion.

"Carlos, get down!" Slayerdramon exclaimed as he lunged at us. The bomb exploded, leaving a huge dome of blinding light which engulfed the whole caste, and soon decimated the entire valley.

"Urgh..."

Waking up from consciousness, I glanced around, shocked at the damage. Both Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon were badly injured, with deep wounds to their bodies. The entire castle was decimated. There was nothing but rubble around us. A few feet away, Dracomon, who digivolved into Coredramon, appeared from under the rubble with Rob and Dorumon under him.

"That was too close..." Coredramon muttered.

"You guys alright...?" they heard me ask from afar.

"We're fine...how are Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon?"

"They're badly injured. They have wounds all over their bodies since they took most of the explosion. We need to go somewhere safe so when Chaosdramon comes back he won't find us and finish the job!"

Coredramon nodded in agreement. Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon were stored into the Xros Loader.

"We can hide in the old tunnel system I made back during the reign of the Death Generals." Coredramon told us. There were no objections to his offer and we left immediately, following him every step of the way.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: A DigiXros Of Dragons**

Coredramon soared over to the east side of the valley, all of which was burned to ashes by Chaosdramon's bomb. He landed in front of one of the mountains that surrounded the hidden valley.

"Alright, one of the entrances is in this mountain." he informed us. We slid off his back, and he walked over to push a boulder, revealing a small cave entrance into the mountain. We followed him inside as he closed the entrance to ascertain that Chaosdramon wouldn't follow us. The glow of the torches that were placed in two straight rows gave an orange hue to the teal colored crystals that adorned themselves all around the cave walls. Following Coredramon, he led us deeper inside the cave for a better chance of being safe.

"Stay here while Rob and I go see if there's anything left from the explosion." Coredramon told us. We simply nodded as he and Rob walked off.

"How are Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon doing?" Dorumon asked, looking over to me.

"They're recovering inside the Xros Loader, but are still unconscious..." I responded. Dorumon looked in shame.

"I'm sorry...this is all my fault..." he muttered.

"Don't blame yourself. He might have been after you, but the destruction was Chaosdramon's fault."

Dorumon looked away, "So what's the plan...?"

"...I don't know yet. If Chaosdramon was strong enough to easily fend off Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon together, then Paildramon and Wingdramon won't make any difference either..."

"...then what do we do...?" Dorumon asked again.

"...we stay here. We wait until Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon recover. It's the only thing I can think of..."

Meanwhile outside, Coredramon and Rob were busy moving away pieces of the debris, searching for anything they could find. They spent four hours searching through the rubble.

"See anything?" Rob asked Coredramon, who lifted another huge piece of detritus.

"No, not a thing..." the dragon sighed.

"Let's take a break for now..." the boy told him, and sat down. Coredramon let the piece of rubble fall to the floor. He walked over to his partner.

"What now...?" the drake asked.

"I don't know..." Rob sighed.

"How do you think Carlos and Dorumon are holding up?"

"I'm sure they're just waiting for us. We should head back before-"

"Hyper Mugen Cannon!"

Coredramon's head quickly perked up at the sound. He grabbed Rob and jumped away to avoid a beam of energy fired at them from a familiar Chaosdramon.

"You...!" Coredramon snarled.

"So, you managed to survive my little explosive. That's enough reason to believe the Dorumon did as well. Would you kindly hand him over...?" Chaosdramon asked.

"Over my dead body!" Coredramon roared.

"You are all annoyingly persistent..." Chaosdramon frowned.

"Rob, we have to hold him off!"

"Right." Rob raised his Xros Loader in the air, "Coredramon, Chou Shinka!"

The device emitted a light from the screen that engulfed Coredramon as he digivolved into Wingdramon.

"Chou Shinka, Wingdramon!"

The dragon landed on the floor, and let out a roar at Chaosdramon, who wasn't fazed.

"Hmph...you guys aren't very cooperative..."

"Rob, you go back and get Carlos and Dorumon. I'll stall him." Wingdramon told him.

"Alright, be careful Wingdramon." Rob told him, and ran off.

"Heh...you sure that's a good idea...?" Chaosdramon teased. Wingdramon wasted no time with the cyborg. He stomped the floor and flew at Chaosdramon, pushing him back. Chaosdramon held him off as Wingdramon grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Silly dragon, you can't lift me up." Chaosdramon sneered, as he grabbed Wingdramon by the arms and slammed him on the ground.

"Guh!"

"You better hope that you have high endurance." Chaosdramon teased. He grabbed Wingdramon by the horn on his snout and hit him on the ground again. Back in the cave, the entire wait was grueling, since every passing moment Chaosdramon could be causing more damage. Dorumon sat in isolation; he felt the whole incident was his fault, and it was because of him that the castle was destroyed. Not a single word was spoken in the five hours spent waiting, until the ground start shook underneath us.

"W-what the-?!"

Our attention turned to the path we entered from to see Rob running over.

"What's going on?!" Dorumon asked.

"When Coredramon and I were searching the rubble, Chaosdramon spotted us and attacked. Wingdramon is holding him off right now, but he's not gonna last!"

"Damn..."

"What do we do?!" Dorumon asked, afraid of what could happen to Wingdramon.

"Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon still haven't recovered yet..." I muttered.

"Wingdramon won't last long by himself!"

"Then we'll have to hold Chaosdramon off until they wake up!"

Without hesitation, we rushed towards the cave entrance. When we rushed out of the cave, we ran toward the rubble that use to be Dorbickmon's Castle, and saw Wingdramon fighting Chaosdramon. From the way he stood, it looked like Wingdramon was already beyond tired. He stumbled back and forth, trying to keep his balance.

"How long ago did he attack?"

"An hour ago. Wingdramon was at full strength when I came back to get you." Rob explained.

"Damn...Chaosdramon was able to drain him so quickly..."

"Heh...you look tired. Here, let me put you to sleep!" the cyborg smirked as he charged at Wingdramon. The dragon tried to hit him with his fist, but his exhaustion caused Chaosdramon to easily read it and provide a successful retaliation. He struck a blow to Wingdramon's stomach, causing the dragon to groan in pain and slouch over. The cyborg continued his assault by repeatedly punching Wingdramon in the face, focusing his blows on the side of Wingdramon's head and snout. The last blow to Wingdramon's nose dazed him, making him step back. He lost balance and fell back, but Chaosdramon grabbed him by the arm.

"Ah-ah-ah! We're not finished fighting yet!" the cyborg smirked. Wingdramon's vision was distorted due to the assault to his face. In his eyes he saw afterimages of the cyborg as he groaned because of the pain.

"Come on, up you go!" Chaosdramon teased as he lifted Wingdramon up to his feet. The drake's exhaustion hit his legs, and he fell forward. Chaosdramon smirked as he let Wingdramon fall onto his back, and surprised everyone by lifting the dragon up. He dropped Wingdramon on the floor so that the drake was resting on his back. The cyborg leapt upwards ten feet in the air, letting his entire weight drop onto Wingdramon's abdomen in a body slam. The dragon groaned in pain even louder, as the attack dazed him again.

"Hmph..." Chaosdramon frowned, "Just when the battle was getting good..."

He grabbed the near unconscious dragon by the tail and swung him around a couple of times before letting him go, hurling him in our direction. Wingdramon crashed onto the ground. Rob was the first to rush over to him.

"Wingdramon!" he called out to the drake, who didn't answer.

"Come on, wake up!" he shook Wingdramon's arm. After a bit, the dragon started groaning again.

"Urgh..."

"Wake up Wingdramon!" the boy exclaimed again.

"R...rob...?"

"I'm here Wingdramon. Are you alright...?"

"Urgh...I'm exhausted...my body's too tired to move..."

"You haven't degenerated yet! You can still fight!"

"Urgh...I don't think I can..."

"We have a plan, but we need you for it to be effective! You didn't digivolve because you gave up when you were fighting Dorbickmon!" Rob told him. The drake looked into his eyes, and after a few moments, found the energy to stand up. He stumbled a bit, and let out a loud roar, shaking the ground.

"Heh..." Chaosdramon smirked.

"What's the plan?" Wingdramon asked, growling at Chaosdramon.

"We have to hold him off until Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon regain consciousness."

"How much longer until they wake up...?" Wingdramon looked at me.

"A few minutes. Do you think you can last that long by attacking from the air?"

"They wouldn't call me Wingdramon if I couldn't." he responded, and stepped in front of us.

"Still got some fight left in you, eh...?" Chaosdramon teased.

"Damn right I do..." Wingdramon growled.

"Reload, Paildramon!" I called out. The digimon appeared in front of me, extending the spike on his gauntlet into a lance.

"If those other two couldn't injure me, what makes you think these two digimon will?!" Chaosdramon laughed.

"You'll see!" Wingdramon retorted as he flapped his wings and took to the skies, while Paildramon charged at Chaosdramon.

"Sting Strike!" he attacked Chaosdramon with a forward thrust of his lance and attacked Chaosdramon, who blocked with his left claw. As they fought, Wingdramon started charging up Blaze Sonic Breath inside his mouth, and as it grew in size, a plume of fire came out of his mouth occasionally. Chaosdramon avoided Paildramon's lance and grabbed him by the arm, flipping him over and slamming him on the ground.

"Guh!" the dragon grunted in pain. Chaosdramon swiftly punched him in the stomach.

"Paildramon, hang in there!"

Chaosdramon kept him pinned on the ground, but Wingdramon rammed into him, pushing him off.

"Blaze Sonic Breath!" he unleashed the accumulated flame from his mouth, hitting Chaosdramon's body. A huge explosion occurred, engulfing both Paildramon and Wingdramon with the smoke. Their vision was limited in the deep cloud of smoke. They did not see Chaosdramon, who managed to sneak up to Paildramon and hit him with a strong blow to the face, knocking him out of the smoke.

"Paildramon!" Wingdramon turned, but Chaosdramon quickly hit Wingdramon with a blow to the gut. The dragon groaned in pain and fell forward, but Chaosdramon finished him off with a strong uppercut. When the smoke cleared, we saw Wingdramon stumble back and fall, unconscious.

"Damn it...! At this rate, Chaosdramon will defeat us before Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon recover!"

"Before...we can recover...eh...?" a familiar voice responded. I looked into the Xros Loader.

"Slayerdramon...?"

"That's my name...Dorbickmon's waking up as well..."

"We might have a chance then. Long story short, Chaosdramon's back and Wingdramon's down for the count."

"Alright then...let's show him what we're really made of!" Slayerdramon yelled.

"Right! Reload, Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon!"

Both dragons appeared in front of us. Their injuries were mostly healed, but had a few cuts and bruises nonetheless. Chaosdramon looked back, and smirked.

"So, both of you are also alive..."

"Shoryūzanpa!" Slayerdramon attacked with a shock wave generated from the swing of his Fragarach. Chaosdramon jumped away to avoid it as Slayerdramon ran over, and lifted Wingdramon up to his feet as the dragon awoke.

"Urgh...Slayerdramon...?"

"Hey...you did good out there...take a well deserved rest." he told Wingdramon, who closed his eyes and degenerated to Dracomon. Slayerdramon handed him back to Rob, and turned back to Chaosdramon, glaring.

"If they can't leave a dent on Chaosdramon's armor alone, then maybe if Dorbickmon was DigiXrossed..."

"Well then, let's see what you two got!" Chaosdramon roared. I raised the Xros Loader in the air.

"Dorbickmon! Paildramon! DigiXros!"

The Xros Loader emitted a light which engulfed them both as the two fused together.

"DigiXros!"

Dorbickmon gained many of Paildramon's attributes, which included Paildramon's armor on his chest, the dragon's legs, as well as the blasters around his waist and the wings on his back, all of which were now a crimson color to match Dorbickmon's scales. Paildramon's armor replaced Dorbickmon's, but he still retained the cannons he used for attacking. The black horns that protruded out of Dorbickmon's back were now adorned to the armor. He gained Paildramon's muscular build, the dragon's tail and the X mark on his abdomen.

"Dorbickmon, P Xros!"

"This is new..." Chaosdramon muttered, but still prepared himself for battle. Dorbickmon held the blasters in his hand, as they started glowing.

"Desperado Fire!"

He attacked with a barrage of fire balls shot from all four of his weapons, surprising Chaosdramon, who managed to retaliate.

"Hyper Mugen Cannon!"

Both attacks collided in an explosion, and when the smoke cleared, he didn't see Dorbickmon until he looked up at the sky to see the dragon attacking with Desperado Fire. The cyborg was unable to react fast enough and was hit dead on.

"Gah!"

The smoke cleared to see that he had sustained damage to his body. The red grid on his arms and legs started flashing as his armor started repairing itself again. Slayerdramon quickly charged at him.

"Not this time!" he roared as he hit Chaosdramon away with Shoryūzanpa. It was that moment that revealed his weakness, since his damage wasn't healed.

"That's it! If we keep attacking, he can't repair his armor!"

"Desperado Fire!" Dorbickmon shot Chaosdramon with wave after wave of artillery fire, giving the cyborg no time to retaliate.

"Gah!"

Slayerdramon followed up the assault as he attacked with Shoryūzanpa over and over again, each shock wave hitting the cyborg dead on. The entire assault bore a strange resemblance to blitzkrieg type warfare. After five minutes of attacking, Dorbickmon ceased fire, breathing heavily. Slayerdramon kneeled down in exhaustion, his arm sore from swinging his Fragarach. The smoke started clearing, but before they could see the damage done, two energy beams came out of the smoke, hitting Dorbickmon dead on.

"Grah!"

"Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. The general hit the ground hard, reverting back into Paildramon and himself. From behind Slayerdramon, the enraged cyborg hit him point-blank with Hyper Mugen Cannon, blasting away the armor on his upper body. Slayerdramon's body slid until it stopped three feet away from Dorbickmon. Chaosdramon's body looked battered and broken, with many cracks in his armor.

"I'm just about done playing with you two..." he snarled as he started the regeneration process. Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon struggled to get up. An idea surfaced in my mind.

_If Dorbickmon DigiXrossed with Paildramon managed to do that much damage, then one more DigiXros with a stronger digimon should help us win. But Slayerdramon isn't my hunted digimon..._

"I'll obliterate you, and this destroyed valley!" he roared.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" I raised the Xros Loader in the air, taking the risk.

"Dorbickmon! Slayerdramon! DigiXros!"

Slayerdramon looked over in surprise, "Digi...Xros...?"

The light engulfed both of them, as well as blinding Chaosdramon, who shielded his eyes.

"DigiXros!"

Much like Paildramon's DigiXros, Dorbickmon gained Slayerdramon's attributes. The armor Slayerdramon wore on his upper body turned crimson and attached itself to Dorbickmon's body, leaving an opening for the cannons Dorbickmon bore on his chest. That orange glow was still resonating in the armor, and the shin guards were adorned with red diamonds. The cape Slayerdramon wore became a dark red color, adorned to Dorbickmon, along with Slayerdramon's tail. Dorbickmon retained the gauntlets on his arms, but the spikes on it were gone. Both Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon's blades fused together, creating a flaming sword with parts of the Fragarach providing the outer shell.

"Dorbickmon, Slayer Mode!"

"It worked!"

"Hyper Mugen Cannon!" Chaosdramon fired his attack, but to his surprise, Dorbickmon's new form was able to hold it off with minimal damage.

"What?!"

"He withstood Chaosdramon's attack?!" Dorumon stammered. It enraged the cyborg.

"Grr...! I'll show you! Destroy-!"

Before Chaosdramon could finish calling out his attack, Dorbickmon swiftly ran up to him.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

He blasted away the cyborg, leaving a hole on the cyborg's shoulder.

"Grah! How can this be?!" his eyes widened in shock and disbelief, "You were struggling to stand a few moment's ago!"

"Chaosdramon...it's possible because you're fighting the combined power of two digimon! That's why Dorbickmon was able to damage you so severely when he was digixrossed with Paildramon!"

"DigiXrossing..." he muttered. Dorbickmon raised his blade in the air.

"Shoryū Collbrande!"

With a horizontal swing of his sword, he fired a crescent energy wave made of flames. Chaosdramon stood frozen in fear as the attack cut his body in half, causing an explosion.

"Gah!"

"They defeated Chaosdramon!" Dorumon exclaimed. I walked over to the cyborg, who even in death was still shocked and confused.

"I don't understand...I had everything planned out from the heist...and one Dorumon finding out caused my downfall..." he muttered. His tone sounded regretful for some reason.

"Chaosdramon...it seems like you know something about working together if you were able to take them on separately...if only you hadn't been a bad digimon..."

He glanced at me for a split moment, before he faded into data. However, not all of his body disintegrated. There was a small red core in the shape of an orb. It was broken in two and was releasing data left on the floor. Before it could join the rest, I stored it in my Xros Loader. For a few seconds, it sounded like it called out to me. As the rest of the group walked up, the subject turned towards the ashes that remained of Dorbickmon's home.

"What now...?" Slayerdramon asked.

"I don't know...it's all gone. Nothing's left."

"We can rebuild it can't we?" Rob asked.

"Yes, but it'd take months, and it would get in the way of Dorbickmon's training."

The horrible sight of the ashes produced a moment of silence, until Dracomon spoke up.

"Let us take care of it."

"Dracomon...?"

"You and Dorbickmon have to focus on training. Let Rob and I take care of rebuilding everything. We'll get Shoutmon and Gumdramon to help as well!"

"Guys..."

"I'll get Ouryumon to help as well!" Slayerdramon added.

"You and Dorbickmon go to Examon's Island and train there with Slayerdramon. We'll take care of things here!" Rob told me.

"Thanks, everyone..."

The following morning, Slayerdramon, Dorbickmon and myself set off to Examon's Island to finish the training. Dorbickmon used his Burning the Dragon technique to leave a mountain as the base for them to work on reconstructing Dorbickmon's Castle.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: An Anger Fueled Attack**

Paildramon soared through the Digital Sky, searching all around for the group of floating islands Examon's home resides in. Since the last visit, the archipelago has changed location, no longer being over the barren mountains dividing Honey Land from its neighbor Cyber Land.

"How do you know Examon?" Slayerdramon asked from inside the Xros Loader.

"He saved me one day from being mugged by some Goburimon, and ever since DarkKnightmon attacked, he's been keeping an eye on me." I responded.

"I see..."

It was half an hour before the floating isles were in sight. Paildramon flew inside the perimeter and landed on the center island. Using his hand, he gently placed me on the ground. Both Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon appeared out of the Xros Loader as Paildramon was stored inside. Slayerdramon stretched his arms and legs, as he took in a deep breath.

"Ahh...feels nice to take in the fresh air..." he sighed contently. The three of us walked into the forest path, heading towards the center of the island. Upon arrival, it was a surprise to see Examon there, waiting.

"You've arrived..." he muttered.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner Examon..."

"It's alright. Shoutmon explained what happened when you were on your way here. That, and he left this for you."

Examon opened his palm, and showed us a small data chip, similar to a DigiMemory. He handed it to me, and I inserted it into the side of the Xros Loader. The screen lit up and a hologram appeared, replaying a video feed.

"Awesome! Shoutmon managed to find the video of Dorbickmon's battle with ZekeGreymon!"

"Yes, he also told me to tell you 'good luck'." Examon added, then turned his attention to Dorbickmon, who merely looked away.

"These next few months of training are crucial if you plan to succeed. And you acting alone won't help you win against ZekeGreymon." he told him. Dorbickmon merely walked away.

"What's his problem...?" Slayerdramon asked.

"Thank you, Examon..." I thanked him. He in turn, nodded, but our conversation didn't end there.

"Can I talk to you for a second...?"

We walked over to the cave entrance, and it was noticeable that Examon was confused. He kneeled down so I could look at him better.

"What is it...?" he asked.

"I'd like a favor..."

From out of the Xros Loader, the DigiCore that was the remnants of Chaosdramon came out.

"A DigiCore...?" he tilted his head.

"It's what remained after Chaosdramon was defeated, but I'm sure you knew that already. For some reason, I felt like it called out to me. Before he died, he sounded like he had regret. If it's not too much to ask, can you bring him back as a good digimon...?"

He grabbed the DigiCore from my hand, and examined it, noting the cracks it has on the surface.

"It's very damaged. Trying to repair it could take a few days."

"Take as much time as you need."

"Very well. I will see what I can do." he responded.

"Thank you..." He was surprised when I hugged him, but he merely placed his hand on me.

"...Carlos, was it?" he asked, being the first time he called me by my name, "During your training, be very patient with Dorbickmon. He favors training in solitude, and he's very serious when it comes to interrupting him in the middle of it, so be careful when you talk to him."

"I will Examon, thanks."

Walking over to Slayerdramon, he saw us walk off to go find the drake, while he went inside his home to work on the DigiCore. We found Dorbickmon near the mountain with the dragon head, and he was sitting down, meditating.

"There you are..." Slayerdramon muttered. Dorbickmon didn't open his eyes and ignored us.

"So what do we start with?" Slayerdramon asked, looking at me.

"Well, I guess it's mental exercises according to Dorbickmon..."

"Ok..."

Slayerdramon walked over, and joined Dorbickmon in meditation, sitting down and closing his eyes. While they were busy focusing their minds, I looked over the video Shoutmon sent. It had everything in it, from Kiriha and MetalGreymon first appearing to fight him, to ZekeGreymon impaling Dorbickmon through the stomach. For the whole day, it kept repeating over and over again, allowing me to analyze everything ZekeGreymon has to offer; his attacks and strengths, as well as trying to find any points he is vulnerable. That way, if the time comes to face off Kiriha, we'd at least have some knowledge of how they fight. The process took so long that it quickly turned dark, signaling the arrival of night. Dorbickmon rose to his feet, and walked over to a nearby tree, where he lied down and went to sleep. All the while Slayerdramon was still deeply focused.

"Hey...Slayerdramon."

The drake didn't answer, but I tried getting his attention once more.

"Slayerdramon...?"

"...hm...?" he opened his eyes, and looked around. "Wow. Time went by faster than I imagined..." he yawned deeply. The fact that he was surprised that time went by so quickly showed how focused he was.

"We should get some rest."

"Right..."

We walked over to another tree adjacent to Dorbickmon's a few yards away. Slayerdramon sat down, and set his back against the bark. I sat next to him, resting my head on his abdomen. He glanced down, and smiled at me before we both dozed off to sleep. Surprisingly, neither one of them snored that night. The following morning, Dorbickmon was already awake before us and training. He threw punches, as well as a kick or two. After a few minutes he turned toward a boulder he had placed in the center of the plain by using his Burning the Dragon technique to make it rise from the ground. I shook Slayerdramon's stomach to try to get him to wake up, but he merely placed his hand on it and continued sleeping. It took a pebble to the forehead for him to start waking up.

"Mmm...huh...?" he yawned as he stretched his arms.

"Good, you're awake..."

"Morning Carlos..." he rose to his feet, "Where's Dorbickmon?"

"Over there..." I pointed, "He already started before us..."

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon blasted the rock to smithereens with a burst of fire shot out of the cannons on his chest.

"I see..." Slayerdramon looked over at the debris.

"Come on, while he warms up, let's go find some food."

"Alright..." Slayerdramon nodded, and we headed off into the small forest, which resembled Dragon Land's, bearing the same red tulips and blue roses, as well as some yellow dandelions. We found a tree filled with containers of DigiNoir, as well as a few fruits and brought them back. Slayerdramon roasted them over a campfire and we ate in silence. As a sign of respect, Slayerdramon put some food for Dorbickmon a few yards away from us, and smiled slightly when he saw Dorbickmon walk over and start eating when he returned to his place. However I was too busy thinking of something else that bothered me. It was what happened when DarkKnightmon apprehended me. He talked about making me his experiment and as he stated, "Insert part of Dorbickmon's old data into my body." But so far nothing has happened to me out of the ordinary, just a simple headache that went away when Examon gave me the diamond, or the shards of diamond that hung around the necklace. Was DarkKnightmon bluffing?

"Hmm..."

"Something on your mind kid?" Slayerdramon asked as he devoured an apple in two bites.

"Yeah, but it isn't important right now..." I muttered, eating out of my container of DigiNoir.

"Alright then..." he responded as he shoved more fruit into his mouth, showing more of his rather uncouth eating habits. By the time we finished eating, Slayerdramon had eaten more than half of the entire food we brought from the forest, and rubbed his stomach contently.

"Ahh...so what's next for training?" he asked.

"Well, we need to improve Dorbickmon's strength."

"And how do we do that? He's already pretty strong."

"Simple. Slayerdramon, we challenge you to a battle!"

The request put a smirk on the drake's face, "I thought you'd never ask!"

I glanced over to Dorbickmon, who overheard the offer. By the look in his eyes, he didn't refuse, but he didn't look too happy about it either. The two walked towards opposite sides of the field, and Paildramon came out of the Xros Loader.

"Alright you two. This will be one match, and it'll be conducted according to the tournament regulations. If either one of you is knocked out for more than three minutes, then the other shall be the winner. Paildramon will act as the arbitrator to make sure neither of you tries to kill each other, understand?"

Slayerdramon nodded in agreement, but Dorbickmon kept his attention towards his opponent.

"We'll see whether or not you're wasting my time..." Dorbickmon muttered.

"Yes, we will." Slayerdramon smirked at him. Paildramon stepped in between the two.

"Very well, both of you ready yourselves." he advised them. Slayerdramon grabbed his Fragarach, letting it activate as the blade separated into its fragments held together from the energy coursing through it. Dorbickmon got into a battle stance, and the two stared each other down.

"Begin!" Paildramon jumped away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

"Shoryūzanpa!" Slayerdramon made the first move by sending an energy wave in Dorbickmon's direction through the swing of his sword. Dorbickmon avoided it by jumping in the air.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Slayerdramon quickly countered by sending two more energy waves to collide with Dorbickmon's attack, creating an explosion. Out of the smoke, Dorbickmon appeared and went for a blow to Slayerdramon's face. The digimon jumped back to avoid getting hit and in turn Dorbickmon hit the ground with his fist, shaking the field. Slayerdramon sprinted towards him and attacked with a vertical swing, but Dorbickmon moved to the side. Slayerdramon quickly followed up with a horizontal swing towards Dorbickmon's neck, but it was again avoided. However he used the momentum to swing around and attack with another horizontal swing to Dorbickmon's legs. The latter jumped back to avoid it, and with a flash of his eye made four pieces of stone come out from the ground, surrounding Slayerdramon. They attempted to crush him, but Slayerdramon jumped in the air to avoid it. However Dorbickmon made two others appear and shot them into the air, heading for the digimon. Slayerdramon used Shoryūzanpa to cut through them and when he landed on the floor, sprinted at Dorbickmon firing wave after wave of energy as he approached the dragon. Dorbickmon avoided his assault and the two exchanged blows to the face.

Slayerdramon stumbled back, but Dorbickmon managed to withstand the attack and hit Slayerdramon in the gut, following it up with a few blows to the face until he kicked the digimon away. Slayerdramon rose to his feet slowly, grabbing his Fragarach, and rushed at Dorbickmon again.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" the dragon roared. Slayerdramon avoided his attack, and wrapped his blade around Dorbickmon, surprising him.

"What?!"

The dragon tried to get out of the blade, but was gripped tightly. Slayerdramon used all of his energy and lifted his sword with both hands, with Dorbickmon still caught in the blade. Since he had finished eating, his moves were a bit sluggish and he cringed because of a cramp, but he started slamming Dorbickmon on the ground repeatedly. Dorbickmon struggled to break free but was caught in the sword's trap, as he was continuously slammed to the ground. After hurling him ten times to the ground, Slayerdramon's arms let go of his blade due to his exhaustion, and because he felt the cramp in his biceps. Dorbickmon's weight was already too much for him to lift, and his arms lacked the muscle to use that technique so carelessly again. Dorbickmon took the opportunity to trap his lower body in the earth.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Dorbickmon's attack hit dead on, and Slayerdramon yelled in pain. When the smoke faded, the explosion freed Slayerdramon from his prison, but left him fatigued. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and charged at Dorbickmon again, who summoned his blade of flames from his mouth.

"Tenryūzanha!"

Slayerdramon swung his sword vertically, but Dorbickmon blocked it. The two engaged in a battle of swords, neither one of them giving an inch of breathing room. With every swing of their swords, both could read each others moves and provide a successful defensive move. They separated after a few minutes, and Dorbickmon attacked.

"Tyrant Collbrande!"

Slayerdramon was about to defend himself when he felt his legs get trapped in the ground by Dorbickmon's Burning the Dragon technique.

"What?!"

Dorbickmon's other attack hit dead on, causing Slayerdramon to yell in pain. Dorbickmon then shrunk his sword's flame to a miniscule size, and he summoned a blade, smaller than his palm, and transferred the energy into it, causing the other sword to disappear. He placed it in his palm and clenched his fist. The flame in the blade released itself, engulfing Dorbickmon's entire fist as he rushed at the dazed Slayerdramon. With a flash of his eye, he freed Slayerdramon from the earth and using all his rage worked up, hit the digimon with an uppercut to his chin, knocking him into the air. Slayerdramon landed on his feet, stumbling back, but nevertheless, fell back unconscious. After three minutes, Slayerdramon was still motionless on the floor, and it was official.

"And that's the end of it." I responded, "Nice work Dorbickmon."

The digimon merely dropped his weapon, which was reduced to nothing now that it wasn't fueled with energy, and walked away. He could at least take the compliment for once. Paildramon walked over and checked Slayerdramon's pulse. With a slow nod, he gave the signal that Slayerdramon was going to be ok, and lifted the unconscious drake up to his feet. We walked him over to a nearby tree and sat him down against it. Paildramon went back inside the Xros Loader as he watched me start replaying the video feed Shoutmon sent again. Slayerdramon stayed unconscious for the rest of the day, and I waited for him to wake up, sitting against his stomach. Night fell, and he started showing signs of recovery.

"Urgh..." he groaned.

"Slayerdramon...?"

"...huh...?"

"Oh good, you're awake."

"Yeah...urgh my head..." Slayerdramon placed his hand on his head as he sat with his legs crossed.

"Dorbickmon really did a number on you with that attack."

"You have no idea...my head is still ringing..." he groaned in pain.

"Here, have some DigiNoir."

Slayerdramon took the container, opened it and devoured the food in less than a minute.

"Mmm...that hit the spot..." he sighed contently, placing his hand on his stomach.

"Come on, it's late. We need to rest." he heard me tell him. He nodded and sat back against the tree, stretching his legs. He watched me rest my head against his gut, and he smiled. In less than ten minutes, Slayerdramon was out like a log, while I was still awake, without any sign of sleep. It was the thought of DarkKnightmon that wandered through my mind. The past few days felt like they were going too smoothly, and those three months without any sign of DarkKnightmon around were a little too peaceful. Chaosdramon wasn't associated with him, otherwise it would've been obvious. The thought of what he did to me back then circled around my mind, but it was better to forget it for now. Joining Slayerdramon in napping, he was already snoring up a storm. The next morning, we woke up later than normal. Slayerdramon yawned deeply, and went back to sleep when I tried waking him up. Letting him snore away for five minutes, water was poured on his head to wake him up, and although he was grumpy, we went to find Dorbickmon. He was over at the mountain as usual, and was already training without us.

"Morning Dorbickmon." Slayerdramon told him, but the drake didn't answer, causing the digimon to frown.

"You know, you could at least respond once in a while!" the dragon scolded. Once again Slayerdramon was ignored, and it was probably the lack of sleep, but Slayerdramon actually stepped in front of Dorbickmon, stopping his training.

"...move." Dorbickmon growled. It was as Examon told me. He was very serious when someone interrupted him in the middle of training.

"No." Slayerdramon huffed, angering Dorbickmon, who walked off. Slayerdramon however, stepped in front of him, stopping him again.

"You're not getting rid of me this time." Slayerdramon growled, "I understand you've faced problems in the past, but that doesn't mean you have to ignore everyone around you!"

"Quit wasting my time..." Dorbickmon warned him.

"At least have the decency to talk to us, you stubborn drake!" Slayerdramon barked, infuriating Dorbickmon.

"What?!"

"You heard me!"

At this point, Paildramon and I intervened. He pulled both of them away from each other.

"Slayerdramon, calm down." he heard me tell him. He glared at Dorbickmon, and stepped back, giving a huff.

"Coward..." Dorbickmon insulted him.

"Dorbickmon, he has some point. You have to start working with me as a team."

"I don't need either of you to help me."

"If that was true, then you wouldn't have struggled against DarkKnightmon, Chaosdramon or ShadowDorbickmon."

"Grr...! None of that would've happened if it wasn't for you!" he barked.

"If it wasn't for me?!"

"Dorbickmon, it wasn't his fault!" Slayerdramon retorted.

"QUIET! You know nothing of what's happened! If it wasn't for this brat, as well as that damned Shoutmon, then DarkKnightmon would've still been in hiding, and I'd be peacefully alone in solitude! My castle would've also still been intact, instead of being blown to rubble by Chaosdramon along with the rest of the place, and he was brought into my home because this brat invited that Dorumon inside! He's to blame for everything that's happened!" Dorbickmon roared and stormed off. Slayerdramon looked at me.

"Don't believe anything he said. It's not your fault these events have occurred."

However, something resonated deep inside. An immense feeling started boiling up inside me, as the sound of my heart beating intensified. The pain in my head returned, only much worse. Slayerdramon noticed the sudden pain, but was surprised it was also influencing Paildramon.

"What's wrong...?" he asked. All feelings inside started vanishing, but only a few remained and were increasing. Incense, wrath and vengeance swirled inside, releasing themselves in the form of heat. Slayerdramon noticed small trails of smoke emanating, but it wasn't natural smoke, it was made of data.

"What the...?"

That moment, those emotions inside exploded, "DORBICKMON!"

Paildramon flew at him at a blistering speed, and before he could turn, Paildramon landed a strong blow to his face, knocking Dorbickmon into the mountain.

"Paildramon!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. The digimon turned back, and Slayerdramon noticed his eyes were completely red, without irises, as if he was being controlled. Dorbickmon rose to his feet again, but before he could attack, Paildramon pinned him against the wall, choking him by the neck.

"Grah...!" Dorbickmon gasped. As he struggled to breath, he was approached by me.

"Y-you...!" he choked, and noticed something that shocked him. In those eyes, he saw his own purple irises, glaring at him.

"H...how...?!"

When he was answered, he and Slayerdramon were shocked to hear Dorbickmon's own voice inside mine.

"Anger kept inside has a tipping point...and you just crossed it..."

"Carlos?!" Slayerdramon exclaimed, and was answered with a glare, before the attention was turned back to Dorbickmon.

"Hmph...you blame everything on me, because you're too pathetic to admit your own faults. DarkKnightmon knew it, and that's why he was able to toss you around like a chew toy..."

Dorbickmon tried to attack, but Paildramon choked him even further.

"We'll see how you enjoy drowning in water." I growled. Paildramon punched Dorbickmon in the gut, and dragged him over to the lake, submerging him and keeping him pinned down by the head. Dorbickmon struggled, trying to grab Paildramon and free himself, but he couldn't reach, and was swallowing water rapidly. Slayerdramon ran over, grabbing a hold of me.

"Hey! Snap out of it!" he called out, "What's wrong with you?!"

"Don't bother...you won't stop this..."

Slayerdramon felt the smoke actually burning him, as he took his hands away, but he didn't stop.

"You have to snap out of it! Remember who you are! What you wanted to do was help Dorbickmon!"

When he tried to grab me again, Paildramon ran over and gave him a strong uppercut, knocking him into a bush of violet tipped thorns that dug into his scales.

"Gah!" the dragon yelled. Paildramon then returned to Dorbickmon, who was climbing out of the water, gasping for air as he coughed up water, and kicked the dragon back inside, continuing to drown him. Slayerdramon cringed as he rose to his feet, walking back in another attempt to reason.

"Snap out of it! He's your friend, and you know that! You have to be patient with him!"

Those words triggered something inside, as he noticed the diamond start glowing, releasing a bright light.

"Guh...! W...what's going on...?! Where am I...?"

All feelings of anger started dying down, as the headache returned. Paildramon held his head, letting go of Dorbickmon, who rose to the surface, unconscious after swallowing too much water.

"That's it, fight what's controlling you!" Slayerdramon shouted. The diamond's light grew brighter, and when it faded, Paildramon fell to the floor unconscious, and I followed.

"Carlos!"

Slayerdramon ran over, and checked to make sure we were alright, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank god, he just has a few burns to his body..."

The drake quickly ran over to Dorbickmon, pulling him out of the water.

"Come on, wake up you stubborn drake..."

He shook Dorbickmon, but the dragon didn't respond. After trying to smack him awake, Slayerdramon struck a blow to Dorbickmon's stomach, causing him to cough out water. Slayerdramon lifted him up, and tilted Dorbickmon's head away from him, as the dragon vomited a lot of water.

"Just a little more ought to do it..."

After coughing up the equivalent of a puddle of water, Slayerdramon checked Dorbickmon's pulse and felt his heart beat slowly.

"Good..." he sighed, "I should take them to Examon, he should be able to figure out what happened..."

The digimon stored Paildramon in the Xros Loader, then grabbed both of us and walked off toward the cave. Examon was busy working on Chaosdramon's DigiCore, slowly inserting data to repair it but not so fast that it would cause it to overload. Slayerdramon walked in.

"Examon."

The knight looked over, and when he saw Slayerdramon carrying Dorbickmon unconscious, he knew something was wrong.

"What happened?" the dragon asked.

Slayerdramon tried to explain the best he could, but he himself was also confused. He mentioned the sudden burst of anger, followed by Paildramon running amok and nearly killing Dorbickmon.

"...I see." Examon glanced over.

"What's wrong with him?" Slayerdramon asked. The knight stayed silent, and gave Slayerdramon a serious look.

"...I assume the boy told you of what happened with DarkKnightmon?"

"Somewhat, yes..."

"Then I'll cut to the point. I think his sudden outburst of anger was caused by the data DarkKnightmon inserted into him. It tapped into the reserves of anger he's kept inside from any problems he's faced in his life that he chose to ignore instead of acting blindly. As for why his eyes changed into Dorbickmon's and his voice resonating withing the boy, it's because the data he used was back when Dorbickmon was a Death General. Only it's the half he didn't use when he created the Shadow Virus. ShadowDorbickmon was merely the body and power of Dorbickmon. That's why he fought with no remorse and relished in every moment he beat you. However Carlos contains Dorbickmon's old self, a part of his old spirit as well as his mind. What the effects of this will do to him are unknown right now, but this will give me something to research on."

"...I see, but then why was Paildramon affected as well?" Slayerdramon asked again.

"It's because of the bond they share. Although he's been with Dorbickmon for a longer time, he's spent much more time with Paildramon, so they have developed a bond, unlike with Dorbickmon, who still refuses to accept the boy. And since Paildramon's bond with him was stronger, he was affected by the anger, running amok."

"I see..." Slayerdramon nodded in understanding. Examon removed the shards that remained of the diamond he had given from the necklace.

"That's why I gave him this jewel. It has my data to counteract the corrupt fragment inside. However, it looks like it lost a lot of its power when it broke. I'll have to reforge it and make it stronger." he glanced over to Slayerdramon, "I'll keep them here, you get some rest."

"Ok..."

Slayerdramon walked outside, heading towards the field, however halfway there he started feeling dizzy.

"Urgh..."

He stopped in his tracks, and put his hand on his head. The digimon felt his own temperature rising, and started feeling nauseous.

"Urp..." he promptly threw up on the floor.

"Urgh...I think I cough something..." he muttered, right before he threw up again.

"I need...to go find a doctor..."

He grabbed a nearby stick and used it to write a message for the others to find. The dragon left the island by jumping down to the smaller islands below. Luckily for him the archipelago was hovering over the Airdramon mountains, which was the tallest mountain range in the Digital World, separating Gold Land from Canyon Land. It allowed Slayerdramon to jump off and land on the mountain, and start making his trek down towards the base, wrapping his cape around himself to keep warm from the sheer cold of the ice.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Vengeance: The Three Brothers**

After Examon heard about the incident from Slayerdramon, he realized that a problem might arise if the incident were to occur again. In response, he returned to working on Chaosdramon's DigiCore, spending most of the night inserting data into it to heal the damage done. What would have spent him a few days took half the night since he used twice the amount of data to increase the healing rate, which in turn concluded with a fully reforged DigiCore. After that, he spent the next few hours of leftover dusk reforging the diamond, inserting twice the amount of his data into it, resulting in a diamond that was bigger in size. When it was all finished, Examon sighed in relief, looking outside and noticing the sky start to very sluggishly turn into dawn. Letting out a deep yawn, he walked over and sat down against the wall of the cave. He closed his eyes and tried to use the rest of the night to sleep. The dragon awoke two hours later when he heard one of us waking up, causing him to glance over.

"Ugh..."

"Carlos..." Examon rose to his feet slowly, and walked over.

"Examon...? What happened...?" I asked him, standing up and holding my head.

"How much do you remember?" he asked.

"I remember Dorbickmon and I arguing, and then feeling my heart beating louder as something boiled up inside. Everything blacked out after that..."

"I see..." Examon nodded. The digimon explained everything that occurred after that moment, which helped fill in the blanks as to how we ended up in the cave.

"Oh..."

"Yes..."

Looking around, there was no sign of Slayerdramon in the cave.

"Where is Slayerdramon?"

"He should be near the area you trained." Examon responded. Taking his advice, I went off in search for the digimon.

"Slayerdramon! Where are you?!"

There was no answer, and after three attempts of calling him, it was obvious he was not in the area.

"Where would he be...?"

At first it looked like he was gone, but after a few minutes of searching the area, there was a message written on the ground near the lake.

"It's from Slayerdramon..."

_Carlos, as much as I was suppose to stay on the island to help Dorbickmon, I seem to have developed a fever. My body heat is rising and I've felt nauseous, causing me to vomit. I've gone in search for medical assistance to help last night. Please continue training and I'll return as soon as I can. -Slayerdramon_

"That's odd..."

With that message in mind, I returned to the cave, finding Examon cleaning his lance with a cloth.

"Did you find him?" he asked.

"Sort of, he left the island because he got sick."

"Sick...?" Examon looked over.

"Yeah. He stated that he developed a fever and felt nauseous, even to the point of vomiting."

As Examon mouthed the symptoms to himself, his eyes widened, as if he knew something.

"Something wrong Examon?"

"There isn't much time, how long ago did he leave?" Examon sternly asked.

"Last night, why?"

"During your blackout, he most have cut himself with a thorn bush that was growing in the field. It has a strong poison which can kill him if given enough time, and those were some of the symptoms of one who was affected by its venom."

"What should we do?!" I asked him, worried. Examon walked over to a shelf he had filled with many test tubes filled with different liquids, which were labeled in DigiCode, which was the letter system that was used in the Digital World. He grabbed one with a magenta colored liquid inside and used a needle to absorb a sample of it, walking back.

"Here, use this antidote and inject it into his heart. Since he left at night, he must have left through the Airdramon Mountains. You must hurry and find him before sunset. I'll stay here and when Dorbickmon wakes up, I'll tell him where to find you."

"Ok." I grabbed the needle, which was human sized luckily and stored it in my Xros Loader before running off. When reaching the edge of the island, Paildramon reloaded from out of the Xros Loader, put me on his shoulder and took to the skies, heading in the northwestern direction.

"Hang On Slayerdramon..."

In the Airdramon Mountains however, the silver drake had passed out during his trek downward in the night. A few minutes passed before he started to wake.

"...Urgh..." he winced, as he slowly rose to his feet, feeling void of any energy in his body. For some reason, he chuckled, "Heheh...must have passed out...better...get going..."

Slayerdramon slowly trotted forward. He felt his body scorching itself in its own heat, and his legs felt weak. After a few minutes of walking, his vision started losing its senses.

"Now where's...that..."

"Hey..." he heard a voice. As he looked a down, he saw a small round digimon with purple fur, yellow eyes and four small feet. He resembled Dorumon in a way.

"Hi mister."

"Dorimon...? What are you doing here...?" Slayerdramon reached out to pick up the digimon, but when he blinked, the Dorimon was gone.

"Damn...I'm...seeing things..." he muttered. His legs lost their feeling and he fell to the floor. As he glanced up, he saw what looked similar to a shadow start forming.

"What...?"

When it took form, Slayerdramon was shocked to see a familiar black Dorbickmon.

"Remember me?" it sneered.

"No...not you!" Slayerdramon rose to his feet, but fell to the floor since he was so weak. The dragon laughed at him.

"Heheh...look what I have..." he chuckled as Slayerdramon saw that in both of the dragon's hands were Gumdramon and Dracomon.

"Let them go!"

"Heh...ok..." ShadowDorbickmon started crushing both the digimon's skulls.

"No!" Slayerdramon grabbed his sword and attacked with whatever strength he had. But to his surprise, the blade passed right through them.

"No..."

He watched in horror as both Gumdramon and Dracomon vanished into data.

"It can't be real...It can't be..." Slayerdramon stammered.

"It is..." ShadowDorbickmon sneered.

"You'll pay!" Slayerdramon ran at him, stabbing his Fragarach into the drake's stomach. The same result occurred and he passed right through the dragon. In desperation, Slayerdramon kept attacking.

"And if that's not enough..." ShadowDorbickmon sneered as he showed Slayerdramon another one of his friends in his hand.

"STOP!" Slayerdramon yelled. His illness caught up to him and he collapsed on the floor as he watched in agony, "Carlos...no...I...I don't want..."

He coughed up blood and reached out with his hand, "I...I..."

His vision blurred as he lost all feeling and passed out. As a result, the mirage faded away. A few minutes later another digimon was patrolling the mountain and noticed the ill Slayerdramon on the ground. He examined the drake, noting his body was burning up with a fever. However when he recognized the drake's sword, his face turned serious.

"It's him..."

Paildramon and I had arrived at the Airdramon Mountains in two hours of flying. The mountain range itself was very barren. There were no trees growing due to the immense cold that surrounded the peak. There were also piles of snow because of it, making the terrain very slippery. Paildramon soared downward, looking around for any signs of Slayerdramon. After flying down to the midpoint of the trail, there was a small patch of red in the mountain snow.

"Slayerdramon's blood...he must be around here..."

Paildramon nodded and continued the search. When we reached the base of the mountain, there was a little town there that was part of a huge harbor. Boats of all shapes and sizes, as well as made from different metals were lined up near the docks, which led to a vast golden ocean. The small town was very ancient. It was made of bricks that have aged over time, creating a beige hue. Most of the town was connected by staircases leading up and down the slopes of the streets since it was built on the mountain's base. There were a few ceramic vases here and there with a flower from Dragon Land inside them. Paildramon landed near the harbor and placed me on the ground.

"What is this place...?" I looked around and saw a sign with the town's name. It was called Zudo Harbor, named after the digimon Zudomon. There was wording under it, but I couldn't understand it since it was in DigiCode. However Paildramon could, and he explained it.

"This town was named after an old digimon named Zudomon, who one day hundreds of years ago saved a group of digimon who were stranded at sea and couldn't survive in the ocean. He brought them here and gave them food. And when it was a time for him to leave, the group of digimon named the town they were going to build after him. It now acts as the border noting the end of Gold Land and the beginning of Canyon Land."

There was a picture of Zudomon on the sign. He resembled a bipedal gray walrus with an olive colored shell that had spikes protruding out of it shaped like an oncoming wave. Zudomon had blue colored eyes, and a horn coming out of his forehead. There was a belt worn from his waist over to his shoulder blade, as well as two on his forearm. His face had orange fur covering it, which had side burns and two ears sticking out like a lightning bolt. It also covered his feet and left hand. In his right arm, which was the more humane of the two, he wielded a huge silver hammer made of pure metal and his right arm was more bear shaped, with three claws and along with that he had an orange tail .

"I see..."

Glancing over and storing Paildramon in the Xros Loader, the search for Slayerdramon continued. It wasn't very long before there was a small breeze coming into the town, cooling down the very warm climate. After an hour of searching, it felt as though our assumption might have been wrong. That is, until a familiar digimon was spotted in the town sitting down outside a restaurant eating some DigiNoir.

"Hey...isn't that the RizeGreymon from Sandstorm City...?" I wondered, and after a few minutes, walked up to the dragon. He noticed something in front of him, and by the look on his face it looked like recognized me.

"Aren't you the kid from before...?" he asked, eating some DigiNoir.

"Yeah, it's been a while..."

"So, what are you doing here...?"

"I'm looking for the same Slayerdramon from before. Have you seen him?"

"Not around here." he responded. As he finished his container of DigiNoir, an idea came to mind.

"...think you can help me find him?"

He looked at me, with a confused look, "Why would I do that?"

As I thought of a reason, the memory of him getting kicked out of a bar in Sandstorm City resurfaced, and if he really was an alcoholic, then it'd be the only thing he'd find as an incentive to help.

"I'll...buy you a drink?"

There was a moment of silence between us, but after a while he gave a slight smirk.

"...alright." he responded. Both of us started walking, and we searched the other parts of town. I glanced up at him, and noticed something that missed my eye when we met back in Sandstorm City.

"Your eye..."

He looked down at me, "So you've noticed it..."

RizeGreymon's left eye was damaged severely. It was always in a glare and a huge scar cut through it, as well as a bit of his helmet.

"What happened...?"

"It's complicated...and I don't want to talk about it..." he muttered.

"I understand...but I don't know why I didn't notice it when we met."

"You only took a quick glance at me when we met." he explained, "Then you ran off..."

"How long have you had it...?"

"Today marks three years since then..." he muttered, as we kept walking. After searching the rest of the city it was time to hold up my end of the bargain. I bought him a bottle at the bar they had in the town, which resembled the one in Dragon City, only bigger in size. The Flamedramon working there brought RizeGreymon a full bottle for him.

"There you go."

"Thanks." he smiled and opened it up, pouring the maroon colored liquid into a glass and taking a drink.

"You're welcome. So what are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I live here." he responded, taking another drink.

"Oh, so when you were in Sandstorm City...?"

"I was visiting a friend." he took another drink.

"I see..."

"So, why are you looking for this Slayerdramon?" RizeGreymon asked the questions this time.  
"He got sick, and if I don't find him soon, it could get worse."

"Sick eh? Well that explains..." he stopped mid-sentence and took a drink.

"Explains what?" I asked, suspicious of what he meant.

"Hm? Oh nothing..." he responded.

"...you sure you haven't seen him?"

"Yeah, I'm sure..." he drank some more.

For some reason, a gut feeling told me he was lying. He wouldn't have stopped mid-sentence if he knew nothing. I needed to find Slayerdramon, and RizeGreymon looked like he knew something. So to find out, we stayed together for another hour and ate. He ordered a hamburger and a small container of DigiNoir for me. The entire time he was drinking, and finished over half the bottle himself before he started showing signs of inebriation.

"So you're absolutely sure you haven't seen him?" I asked him again. He took another drink, and caught the hiccups.

"Yeah...I..." he burped, "Sure...boss..."

"Boss?"

"Oh right..." he yawned, "You don't...know him...he's...the leader around...these parts..."

"Really? What's his name?"

"Dark...dramon..." he responded, finishing the rest of the bottle in one big chug.

"Where can I find him?"

"Over...by the harbor...there's a...few warehouses..." he mumbled, yawning deeply. RizeGreymon placed his head on the table and dozed off. The sight of it was a little cute, since he held his empty plate like a pillow as he snored. I left him there to nap and went over to the harbor. The warehouses he talked about were on the east side, hidden behind one of the smaller mountains in the mountainous range. I walked inside the center building, which was mainly filled with storage boxes, and there was a walkway leading up to a second floor.

"Hello? Darkdramon?"

"Hello..." a voice answered behind me. He revealed himself to be a dragon clad in blue armor with a yellow stripe running across his arms and legs, and he had blades on the armor covering his knees. Underneath was a layer of black armor, with magenta colored rings adorned onto it. The digimon boasted a tail, as well as a lance on his right arm consisting of a blade in the center and four smaller blades around it, powered by some energy running through it. On his shoulder blades he boasted pipes which shot out a light blue energy in the form of wings. To top it off, he had yellow colored eyes with no iris, red and orange hair that was styled as a long mullet, and wore a transparent helmet in the shape of a V visible only when the light reflects off of it.

"Why are you here?" he asked, not in a kind mood.

"I'm looking for a Slayerdramon."

"He's not here..." Darkdramon growled.

"I see...sorry for wasting your time."

As I proceeded to walk out, he started chuckling suspiciously. At that point something seemed off about this place.

"What's so funny?"

"You..." he sneered, "I find you funny. You come into my domain knowing full well that this could be dangerous. Yet you still waltz in here asking about your friend. It's almost touching. You've got guts kid, I'll give you that."

"...thanks"

"Now leave my sights. I have business to take care of." he ordered, with a movement of his arm towards the gate. I walked outside and started searching again. However his tone of voice caught my attention, so the search was around these warehouses. Any sign that Slayerdramon was here was enough to prove Darkdramon was lying.

Sure enough, when examining the back of one of the buildings, there was a piece of Slayerdramon's armor on the floor with blood on it. I marched inside into that warehouse, which was the same as the previous, only more wrecked.

"Slayerdramon! Where are you?!"

"I see you came back..." the sinister voice of Darkdramon responded behind me.

"Look I know he's here! Now where is he?!"

Darkdramon frowned, letting out a sigh, "You know...technically I didn't lie to you when I told you he wasn't here. See, I found him lying on the ground extremely ill and brought him back here."

"Take me to him."

"I don't think you want to see him..." Darkdramon advised, "He was severely sick and-"

"I have the cure! Now where is he?!"

Darkdramon turned around, "He's down this hallway..."

He started escorting me through the warehouse, but before being able to react something hit me from behind.

"Guh!" I fell to the floor, nearly unconscious as Darkdramon turned around with a sneer on his face.

"What did you do to Slayerdramon...?!"

Darkdramon picked me up from my jacket, and continued walking down the hallway, leading into the other warehouse, which was more fit to be a room to imprison someone in.

"He's just fine...I just left him in the cell."

"Cell...?"

Darkdramon opened one of the cells with a key and threw me inside, "You see...both of you caused my brother a lot of trouble in the past, and now I want to make you suffer."

He walked over to another object hidden under a tarp, and pulled it off, revealing another cell with Slayerdramon inside, unconscious and breathing heavily.

"Your brother...?!" I gritted my teeth. Darkdramon's face turned angry, as he snarled.

"Do you remember Chaosdramon?"

The name shocked me, "You..."

"That's right...he was my older brother. He did everything for me and our younger brother...I heard from a Sealsdramon he relieved from duty that he went looking for a digimon who found out about his heist so I sent the digimon to watch. And next thing I know, he's dead by your hand! So I'm going to leave you here and let you watch as your friend dies slowly and painfully..."

"What makes you think I can't break out of here?!"

"Oh, I've been observing you ever since you came here. So I know about your Xros Loader...and besides...if you do, I've attached a wire to your friend's leg, which is connected to an electric generator, so if you even think about it..." he sneered and pressed a switch on a control panel attached to the wall, which caused an electric shock to go through Slayerdramon's body, causing him to scream in pain.

"Cut it out!" I yelled, gritting my teeth.

"So will you cooperate?" Darkdramon asked.

"Burn in hell!"

"Not before you and your friend do for what you did to our brother..." Darkdramon growled, and pressed the switch again to prove his point as Slayerdramon screamed in pain.

He smirked one last time before walking out, and near the gate RizeGreymon was there waiting. He turned to follow Darkdramon.

"Wait!"

"...what?" he muttered.

"Why do you follow someone like him?"

"Because he's helped me ever since I was young."

"Can't you see what he's doing is wrong?!"

"And apparently you're not getting what I'm telling you." RizeGreymon walked over to me, "I'm the adopted and youngest brother of the trio..."

"I can understand that, but it doesn't compensate for what he's doing!"

"You're right." he scoffed, "You killed my brother, got me drunk for information, this doesn't even begin to cover how much pain you've caused me!"

I stayed silent at the rebuttal. Nothing could justify my actions, because it was true. RizeGreymon kneeled down and glared at me with his injured eye.

"You wanted to know how I got this? It was during the reign of the Death Generals. I was a GeoGreymon at the time, and one of them thought it would be funny if they stabbed my eye and leave me there bleeding,. My brothers found me and did everything they could to save it, and this is what they could save. So despite your words, you're telling me to turn my back on them, the ones who raised me and saved me from death. I can't possible do that!"

Responding to his story, my attention turned to the ground, "...was that Death General Dorbickmon...?"

RizeGreymon sneered, "That would be convenient, wouldn't it? But no, it wasn't him, but he stood by and watched it happen. So now you know why I can't forgive him...or you..."

"But Slayerdramon has nothing to do with what happened to you!"

"Slayerdramon worked with Dorbickmon to kill my brother, that's enough."

"Hmph...I could have restored your eye back to normal..."

"I don't think you can..."

"Either way, Dorbickmon's suffered enough for his actions. I will break out and save Slayerdramon! And after that I'll prove to everyone he deserves a second chance!"

"Then prove it!" RizeGreymon roared.

"You got it! Reload, Paildramon!"

The digimon reloaded from the Xros Loader and broke the cell door, quickly slamming into RizeGreymon.

"Guh!" the dinosaur fell on top of a few crates. I ran over to the cell Slayerdramon was incarcerated in and attempted to move his breastplate up so the cure could be injected into his heart.

"I have to say...that's very impressive!" Darkdramon walked in, clapping slowly.

"Damn it..."

Reloading the needle Examon gave me, Darkdramon watched me move over towards Slayerdramon's midsection.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you..." he grinned and moved to the control panel. He clicked the switch and sent a shock of electricity through Slayerdramon's body, causing him to yell in pain.

"That toxin's about to sink in any minute now, and your friend will die in front of you."

"We'll see! Paildramon!"

Paildramon flipped RizeGreymon and slammed him on the ground, quickly running over to us.

"Desperado Blaster!"

"How foolish!" Darkdramon blocked the attack with his arm, "You think this will do anything against me?!"

"Who implied that it was directed at you?" I grinned.

"What?!" he turned around to see the control panel get broken off by Paildramon's attack Paildramon ran over, and with his arm lance, cut the wire wrapped around Slayerdramon's leg.

"Grr...! You...!" Darkdramon snarled. He charged at me, but was grabbed from behind. We glanced over to recognize a familiar crimson drake.

"Dorbickmon!"

"Y-You!" Darkdramon attempted to stab his lance into Dorbickmon, but it was avoided. While he and RizeGreymon were busy fighting Dorbickmon, Paildramon helped remove Slayerdramon's breastplate and I injected the antidote into his heart, making sure every ounce was used. Paildramon checked his temperature, placing his hand on the drake's forehead.

"His temperature is returning to normal." Paildramon told me.

"Good...he's safe..."

"Damn you!" Darkdramon barked as he attacked Dorbickmon with his lance. Dorbickmon avoided it and jumped back.

"Trident Revolver!" RizeGreymon fired three orange energy bullets at Dorbickmon, however the recoil caused him to slide back.

"Cable Catcher!" Paildramon fired the claws on his gauntlets, which were attached to wires that wrapped themselves around RizeGreymon's shins. Paildramon jumped back and the wires pulled back and swept RizeGreymon off his feet.

"Gah!" he fell backwards and was pulled towards us. I ran over to him and from my Xros Loader, the remaining half of the DigiCore Examon gave me appeared.

"This would have restored your eye back to normal."

"I don't need your pity!" RizeGreymon barked, "I won't accept charity from you!"

He started pulling his legs away from each other to break free from the wires.

"I'm not asking you to accept it, I'm telling you to!"

Crushing the core in my hand, it gave off a bright light of data that headed towards RizeGreymon's injured eye. He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst, but he felt a warm energy course through him. When he opened his eyes I showed him his reflection in the Xros Loader's screen, which revealed that his injured eye was fully restored back to its original state.

"What...why would you do this...?" he asked, confused.

"Because..." I smiled, "I bought you a drink."

He looked at me, and after a few moments started laughing at the comment. At that same time, Slayerdramon started waking up.

"Urgh..."

"Slayerdramon! You're alright!"

Darkdramon snarled, "How dare you ruin my plans!"

He hit Dorbickmon away and soared straight at me. He was about to stab me with his lance, when RizeGreymon blocked it with his revolver.

"Brother, stop!"

"RizeGreymon, what are you doing?!" Darkdramon was shocked to see his own brother stop him.

"RizeGreymon..." I muttered.

"Why would you help them?! Don't you remember what Dorbickmon did to you?! What all three of them did to Chaosdramon?!"

"I do remember! How could I forget..." RizeGreymon muttered.

"Dorbickmon...so you really did damage his eye..."

"Don't get me wrong, I still don't forgive you." RizeGreymon glared at him, but Dorbickmon wasn't fazed.

"...and yet, your partner still looked past my own actions and healed that wound I was inflicted with, and because of that I'll let you go."

Darkdramon was astonished, "Brother, don't be-!"

"I know, but look." RizeGreymon faced him and showed Darkdramon his eye, "It's completely healed. I know we cannot forgive them, but we can at least give them this one kind act in return."

There was a moment of silence between the two.

"Hey kid." Dorbickmon called out to me, "Catch..."

He threw something towards me which was stored into my Xros Loader. When I reloaded it, the object turned out to be Chaosdramon's DigiCore, fully healed.

"Is that...?!" RizeGreymon and Darkdramon looked over in surprise.

"Thank you, Examon..." I muttered.

Throwing the DigiCore in the air, it gave off a blinding light as data started releasing out if it, taking form. When the light faded, they saw Chaosdramon in front of them, alive and well.

"Chaosdramon..." RizeGreymon walked up and hugged him, "I'm so glad to see you again..."

Darkdramon joined in and smiled. Chaosdramon looked over at Dorbickmon, with a smirk on his face.

"Since when are you the kind one?" he asked. Dorbickmon stayed silent. When the brothers stopped hugging RizeGreymon looked at me.

"Heh, kid. I helped in your friend's torture and yet you still helped us. I honestly don't know if your naive, or incapable of hating, but thank you."

"Same goes for me, thanks for giving us our brother back." Darkdramon smiled at us. For the next few hours, Chaosdramon explained everything. After the events of the Bagra Empire, he and his brothers were living in poverty in the Digital World. He was a Machinedramon at the time, Darkdramon was a Tankdramon and RizeGreymon was a GeoGreymon. They barely got anything to eat, let alone any help from other digimon since many were still on edge because of DigiQuartz appearing. Since he was the oldest, he had to provide for them, and was unable to. Desperate to find any way for him to stop seeing his brothers starving, he turned to making small robberies of food, as well as doing some favors for bad digimon in turn for money. Eventually they managed to move here and find a place to stay in these warehouses which use to be abandoned, fixing them up. Eventually they all digivolved, and after Chaosdramon preformed more favors, he overheard about the crates of digizoid armor. It was a big loot that could have been sold for a hefty sum. And as much as he wanted to stop being a crook, he didn't want to see his brothers starving again. So in the end, he stole all of it and started selling it secretly. That's when the digimon before Dorumon found out, and he had to keep him quiet, for his brother's sake. And that's when it led back to Dorumon appearing in Dorbickmon's home. As much crime as he did back in the day, we were able to forgive him, mostly because of one reason; he didn't kill anyone. The digimon before Dorumon was only knocked unconscious and taken back to the city in Cyber Land. He told us that he and his brothers would return everything, apologize to the digimon that was beaten unconscious, serve time if they had to, and start a new life.

"We've all done bad things, but it's being able to make up for it that counts." I told them, and asked, if they could, to watch me and Dorbickmon compete in the tournament two months away. The three of them nodded in agreement.

"Still, we were wrong about you kid, I was wrong about you." RizeGreymon looked down, "But I'll be looking forward to seeing you at the tournament."

"So will I." I responded, and we bumped fists.

"I still can't forgive you for electrocuting me." Slayerdramon told Darkdramon as they shook hands.

"I don't expect you to..."

With that, Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon went into the Xros Loader. Paildramon placed me on his shoulder and took to the skies, heading back to Examon's Island.

"...they'll be ok. Once they settle everything and make up for their deeds, they'll get through it. Plus I think their story will strike some sympathy into Shoutmon..."

We arrived at the island at night, and Dorbickmon walked off to go to sleep, while Slayerdramon stayed with me. I decided to watch the video feed again, however this time something caught my eye.

"What is it?" Slayerdramon asked. Replaying the small clip over and over again, it was ZekeGreymon performing his Destroy Smasher attack. Slayerdramon observed, but didn't see anything interesting about it.

"So what...?" Slayerdramon raised an eyebrow.

"Four seconds..." I muttered.

"Four seconds...?"

"That's how long it takes for him to spin around and charge up the attack before unleashing it!"

"I see...so if you can take advantage of that..."

"Maybe I have a chance..."

"To strike him before he takes you down!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. From there it was settled, for the remaining time here we were going to help Dorbickmon increase his speed.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: A Glare Of Hate: The Tournament Preliminaries.**

The remaining two months passed rapidly, and in that time we helped Dorbickmon increase his speed, as well as his reflexes and endurance. The day before the tournament began, we bid farewell to Examon and set off to Dragon Land. After a few hours of flying, we arrived near the mountain ranges next to Dorbickmon's home and spotted Dracomon near the hidden entrance.

"Hey guys! They're coming!" he called the others. Ouryumon, Dorumon and the others walked out as Paildramon landed in front of them. He placed me on the ground afterward.

"Welcome home!" Dorumon greeted us.

"Dorumon! Great News! You don't have to worry about being hunted anymore!"

His eyes widened with joy, "Y-you mean...?"

"We settled things with Chaosdramon and his brothers! You don't have to run anymore!"

"Thank you!" he hugged me in gratitude.

"So is the castle finished?"

"It is, do you want to see?"

"Of course!"

"Ok!" Dracomon led the way, and I followed Dorumon. Slayerdramon reloaded out of the Xros Loader and walked with Ouryumon.

"So Dorumon, what are you going to do now?"

"I was hoping I could stay..." he muttered.

"Of course you can!"

His head perked up with joy as we were led towards the mountain. When we climbed up the mountain trail and spotted the castle; we were amazed by what we saw.

"Wow..."

Their memory was spot on, because they rebuilt the castle exactly the way it was before the explosion. Only differences were that the castle walls were a lighter brown color, and the flame crest above the front gate was now made of solid gold. As for the valley itself, it was also showing signs of recovery. The trees were already halfway done with their growth cycle, and the flowers were starting to bloom. When we walked inside, everything was like it was before, right down to the pipe system that used the lava deep underneath the ground as a light source. A few new objects were in place, like a couch to sit on in the foyer, and a few more vases to give the castle more life.

"Amazing..."

"And we did it all in the span of two months." the voice of Shoutmon responded as he walked in.

"It took a lot of time to remember and organize everything back to the way it was." Dracomon added.

"Thanks guys..."

"You're welcome!"

"So, tomorrow marks the beginning of the tournament, how are you feeling?" Shoutmon asked.

"A bit more hopeful." I told them.

"I'm glad to hear that!" Dracomon smiled.

"Yeah. Dorbickmon's gotten stronger, and quicker. Also, because of the video feed Shoutmon gave me, I think we've found a few weak points on ZekeGreymon."

"I'm glad you managed to use your time efficiently."

"Thanks..." I glanced down at my clothes, "But my outfit is worn out and in shreds..."

"I think I can help with that." Shoutmon smiled. The rest of day was spent catching up on sleep, as well as resting for tomorrow's events.

The following morning, Slayerdramon was talking with Ouryumon in their room.

"So...what did you find out?" the drake asked.

"When word got out that we got rid of SkullGreymon and his crew, they've mobilized the rest of their units. And get this; even the head honcho is interested in finding us now..."

"I see..."

"If we take him out, then it'll be easy getting rid of the rest of the organization. And then we can start that new life you wanted here."

"Right..." Slayerdramon muttered, "Keep searching Ouryumon. If we defeat them all and bring what they stand for crumbling down, then our lives associated with them will be over, and many other digimon will be safe."

"Yes..."

Slayerdramon walked out of his room and walked down the hall. He went up to the second floor and knocked on the door.

"Carlos, it's me." he informed.

"What is it?" I answered from inside the room.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, you can come in."

He opened the door and strolled inside. At that time he saw me putting on a thin, black hooded sweater, followed by another gray sweater vest with a zipper. It had a black stripe running from the collar down both shoulders. I wore a pair of faint green and gray pants, with a pocket to put my Xros Loader in. My shoes were now black and gray with orange highlights near the sole. When I faced him, he noticed the flame design Dorbickmon had on the left side of my chest.

"Nice outfit!" he smiled.

"Thanks, kind of thought it was time for a change since the other had been torn to near shreds..."

"So are you ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I told him. We both walked back down to the foyer to join Dorumon and Dracomon.

"You ready?" Dorumon asked.

"Yes, what about you guys?"

"Yeah." Dracomon responded.

"Alright, let's go. Dorbickmon's probably over there already. I didn't see him in his room."

We all walked outside the castle. Dracomon digivolved into Wingdramon and we all climbed onto his back, with Rob and I on his shoulders. Slayerdramon went into the Xros Loader, and Wingdramon took to the skies.

"Ok Wingdramon, the tournament is being held in the mountain ranges separating Bright Land and Dragon Land."

"Got it!" Wingdramon soared in the western direction, heading out of Dragon Land. After a few hours of flying, the location was in sight.

"There it is!"

At the peak of the tallest mountain in the range, a colossal coliseum was built on top of it. However it was not one, but five arenas to battle in. The one in the center towered above the other four, which surrounded the arena. They were all made of different types of Chrome Digizoid. The center arena was composed of Gold Digizoid, the north arena was Red Digizoid, the south arena was Black Digizoid, the east arena was Obsidian Digizoid, and the west arena was Blue Digizoid. They were all cylindrically shaped, bending outwards near the top, and were adorned with many different colored jewels. Outside the arenas were stands for digimon to buy food to eat, as well as a small field with evergreen trees surrounding the entire sector.

"Woah..."

"That's incredible..." Dorumon stood in awe. Wingdramon landed near the entrance. He placed Rob and I on the ground, as Dorumon jumped off his back. Wingdramon degenerated back into Dracomon as we walked towards the center coliseum. We entered through the huge gate into a long hallway, which split into three lanes. The center lane leading into the arena was guarded by some Knightmon.

"Well, looks like this is where we split up."

"Good luck!" Dracomon and Dorumon smiled. They headed down the left lane with Ouryumon and Slayerdramon, while I walked up to the Knightmon guarding the entrance to the arena.

"Entry Card." he ordered. Out of my pocket, he was given a small data chip that resembled a DigiMemory that he placed on a keyhole. It scanned the data inside and a green light lit up.

"Alright, you're clear." he moved out of the way, letting me through. Entering into the arena, the sight of thousands of Digimon watching was intimidating. Digimon of all different species: dragons, beasts, machines, birds, etc. All of them flocked to the stands to watch. Many aerial Digimon perched themselves on the top of the coliseum to observe. Although there were digimon of all different species, I was able to recognize some of them in the stands, such as Megadramon, DarkTyrannomon, Brachiomon, Flamedramon, and a few others.

"This will be tougher than I thought..."

"Hey! Carlos!" a familiar voice called out to me. Upon turning around, both Tagiru and Gumdramon ran up to me.

"Tagiru? Gumdramon? What are you guys doing here?"

"I was keeping it a secret, but we entered as well!" Gumdramon explained.

"And it's just you two and Kiriha that entered?"

"No, Ryouma is here as well." Tagiru smiled.

"Ryouma?" I looked around, and saw the boy walking towards us. He had gray hair, which was round and had three different tufts of hair near his forehead, two of which pointed downward while the other went up and arched down, forming a crescent. His eyes were an aquamarine color, and he had an earring on his left earlobe. Ryouma wore a black suit with black pants and shoes to match, as well as a dark blue shirt underneath, as he wore a watch on his left wrist. He looked to be about a year older than Tagiru. Ryouma was one of the hunters that Taiki and the others met in DigiQuartz. They described him as a calm, cool, collected kind of guy. His partner was an Psychemon, however he wasn't with him when he walked up to me. The digimon was probably stored in Ryouma's green Xros Loader.

"Well, well, well...it's quite a coincidence meeting you here." he told Tagiru, then turned to me, giving a smile, "According to Tagiru, you're the boy who was the first to become partnered with the notorious Fire-Fury General."

"Well...'partners' is a bit of an overstatement..." I told him as we shook hands.

"I see, well, it looks like we're all competing here, I look forward to seeing you battle, and if the chance arises, to be able to see the ferocity of the Death General first hand." he responded.

"Right...so when does the ceremony begin?"

"Twenty minutes." Tagiru replied.

"Alright, by the way, are the three of us and Kiriha the only humans with Digimon competing here?"

"Yes, we are." Ryouma responded, "The rest of the competitors are Digimon by themselves. That's how it use to be in the tradition of this tournament."

"I see..."

While we were busy chatting, Dracomon and Dorumon found a spot to sit down where they could see all the action.

"This looks like a good spot." Dorumon told Dracomon as they sat in the first lane of the second floor. As they waited, a RizeGreymon walked up to them.

"Excuse me, do you know where Carlos is?" he asked the two.

"Who are you?" Dracomon raised an eyebrow.

"RizeGreymon. I saw you two with Slayerdramon so I figured you'd know where he is."

"He's already in the arena." Dorumon responded.

"I see...well I guess we just missed him..."

"We?" Dracomon's expression changed, "Are your brothers here?"

RizeGreymon smiled, "No need for the anger little guy, they're not here yet, and besides, after what he did for us, I wouldn't dare hurt him."

"...if your not talking about your brothers, then who are you talking about...?" Dracomon wondered.

"An old friend from the desert; he met your friend earlier. I'm sure he'll be happy to see him." RizeGreymon replied, as he started leaving, "Anyway, I wish your friend luck!"

"Dracomon watched the digimon leave, and sighed, "Carlos really does have a habit of befriending anyone he meets."

As the two waited, RizeGreymon found a place for him to observe as well without the pain of having to look over any digimon's head.

"Hey MachGaogamon! Hurry up!" he shouted.

"Calm down." a familiar blue wolf walked up to him, "It's not starting for a few minutes."

While the two talked, Chaosdramon and Darkdramon walked up to them, along with BlackMachGaogamon, WereGarurumon, Slayerdramon and Ouryumon.

"Hey, you're here!" RizeGreymon smiled.

"We would've gotten here sooner, but Darkdramon was taking ages flying here." Chaosdramon explained.

"You're...too damn heavy!" Darkdramon exclaimed, still gasping for air from having to carry Chaosdramon all the way during the trip.

"The ceremony's about to begin." BlackMachGaogamon told them.

"Good point, we should probably go find our seats." WereGarurumon advised.

"Right."

"Let's go Ouryumon, Dracomon is probably waiting for us." Slayerdramon told him. They all went their separate ways and found their seats. Slayerdramon and Ouryumon sat down behind Dracomon and Dorumon, while BlackMachGaogamon and WereGarurumon sat in another sector of the stands.

At that moment, Shoutmon and Taiki came out onto the arena and were walking towards a long staircase that led to an altar which contained a huge torch high above the coliseum. Many digimon cheered when they saw the two.

"Look, it's starting!" Dracomon exclaimed.

"I hope this goes well..." Shoutmon muttered as he and Taiki reached the top of the staircase. The two looked out towards the crowd, clearing their throats.

"Everyone...we are glad that you could attend what is possible the biggest event to happen in the Digital World every quarter of a century..." Taiki began, as he and Shoutmon alternated in the speech. There was nothing but silence as their voices echoed throughout the coliseum.

"All of you sixty-four competitors have come to test yourselves against some of the strongest digimon, and in this year, against their human partners if permitted the chance."

"As you saw upon entering, there are four arenas surrounding this center one. You will all be split into four groups of sixteen competitors, and be sent to any one of the four arenas." Taiki informed us.

"You will be randomized into the four groups. Each coliseum will have an overseer who will observe that branch of the preliminaries to ensure fairness among every one of you and congratulate the winner of that branch. The winners shall meet here in the center coliseum one week from now for the finals. And details about those matches will be revealed when the time comes." Shoutmon told us as a huge hologram appeared above the torch.

"Group A's overseer will be Apollomon the Sun-Wheel." Shoutmon announced. A picture of the digimon appeared on the screen, followed by a loud roar of cheers from the spectators, as Apollomon walked up the stair case towards Taiki and Shoutmon.

"Group B's overseer will be Beelzemon." Taiki declared. A picture of the digimon appeared in the hologram. The crowd cheered once again as the digimon soared towards the altar. He was a demon man, with yellow hair spiked back, and pale blue skin, as well as three red eyes, with the additional eye being on his his forehead where his dark blue helmet was. He was clad in silver armor from the chest down, with his boots having three spikes near the tip as well as belts around his legs, and along with his dark raven wings, he held a huge cannon forged like a gun whose barrel was composed of an electric generator that spun around to create energy. Beelzemon landed in front of Apollomon.

"Group C's overseer will be Olegmon the Gold-Thief" Shoutmon revealed, as the picture of the digimon was shown on the hologram. Another roar of cheers transcended from the stands as he walked up the staircase. A brown fur pelt covered most of Olegmon's body, and his shoulders as well as his forearms were protected by armor that was forged to resemble different types of treasure chests. The ones on his shoulder's were red and blue, and had keyholes in them. There were three golden spikes protruding out of his back similar to Dorbickmon, and he wore a golden viking helmet. He had gray eyes, a metal jaw, and brown hair. He stopped next to Beelzemon.

"And Group D's overseer will be Mervamon." Taiki informed, as the photo of the digimon came to light in the hologram. The crowd roared again as Mervamon walked up. She had long green hair styled in two braided pony-tails nearly reaching down to their feet, yellow eyes with reptile slits, and a snake head as a helmet which had two small wings protruding out of the top adorned with two red scarfs that stretched down to Mervamon's legs. She wore black boots with claws on the tips, as well as a red skirt and a white bra shaped breast plate with two belts underneath. On both hands she wore belts on the forearms, and in her right hand she had a huge red and white blade, with two snakes, one black and one white, adorned on the middle of the sword. On her left arm was a white and red armor plate with a spike on it, but on it was also a white snake with red eyes and had the same two snakes on its forehead, with two green spikes on its lower jaw. She was showing a lot of skin, but that didn't fool anyone, because she's a fierce fighter according to Shoutmon. She stopped next to Olegmon as the hologram started randomizing all of the competitors into groups.

"The rules are simple." Taiki explained, "The digimon still standing after knocking his opponent out for three minutes wins. Under no circumstance, may you kill your opponent. This event is a sacred tradition, and should be treated with honor."

"For the four human competitors, DigiXrossing and Digivolution is allowed." Shoutmon added.

"And also, you may replace your main digimon with a second before the match begins if the former is unable to fight." Taiki looked over at the four of us. I glanced over and saw Kiriha in the distance.

"With all that settled..." Shoutmon summoned his mike.

"Let the tournament..."

Using Soul Crusher, Shoutmon hurled the attack into the torch, which lit up into a huge flame as the two ended their sentence.

"Commence!"

The loud roar of cheers enveloped the arena as the four overseers walked down the altar.

"It could be a while before Carlos and Kiriha face each other..." Dorumon muttered.

"Good luck Carlos..." Dracomon mumbled. He looked over in the stands, and to his surprise spotted Fanglongmon watching near one of the exits. The hologram finished randomizing us all, and the results were as shown: I was in Group A, Tagiru was in Group B, Ryouma was in Group C, and Kiriha was in Group D.

"Group A will go to the North Coliseum, Group B to the East Coliseum, Group C to the South Coliseum, and Group D to the West Coliseum. The first matches will begin in an hour." Shoutmon announced before he and Taiki walked down the altar.

_Kiriha...I will climb to the top and fight you in the finals...that's a promise..._

Walking outside the center arena and into the stands, I spotted RizeGreymon and surprisingly, MachGaogamon waiting.

"Hey!" the dragon smiled.

"You made it! And it's been a long time MachGaogamon!"

"It's nice to see you again." the wolf smiled,

"We wouldn't miss it for anything!" RizeGreymon added. We walked towards the North Coliseum, chatting along the way.

"By the way, I want to thank you for healing my friend's eye." MachGaogamon looked down at me, "It's been hard on him since he lost it. I haven't seen him in so happy in such a long time."

"Your welcome."

RizeGreymon looked away in shame, "...I'm sorry. In my hatred towards Dorbickmon, I nearly killed your friend..."

"It's ok RizeGreymon. You were angry..."

"Angry? What I did was beyond conventional anger! How can you even forgive me for that..."

"You cared about your brother, that's all I needed to be convinced..."

"Either way, thanks for giving me another chance."

When we approached the gate to the North Coliseum, I glanced over to find Dorbickmon up on a hill with his back against a tree and his arms crossed.

"Guys, wait for me inside, I have to go take care of something..."

MachGaogamon and RizeGreymon looked at each other, confused.

"Ok...do you want anything to eat? RizeGreymon and I were going to grab something quick before the fighting starts..." MachGaogamon asked.

"A container of DigiNoir."

"Alright..."

Splitting up, they walked inside the gate, while I ran up to Dorbickmon. He had a stern expression on his face, like usual.

"There you are..."

"...hmph." he scoffed.

"Look, I know you won't take orders from me. I don't expect you to, since I know you can handle yourself in battle. But can you at least stay in the Xros Loader? At least until the matches start?"

Dorbickmon stayed silent, merely glaring down at me. It took a while before he nodded slowly in agreement.

"Fine..." he muttered reluctantly, "The less time I spend surrounded by all these digimon the better..."

Dorbickmon was stored into my Xros Loader, and I glanced over to see Fanglongmon in the distance. He gave me a slow nod, wishing us good luck. Replying with a nod of my own, we split up.

Entering through the gate of the North Coliseum and catching up with MachGaogamon and RizeGreymon, they handed me a container of DigiNoir as we sat down to eat. A few minutes later I was hugged from behind.

"Carlos!" a familiar Dorumon's voice called out. He was accompanied by Ouryumon and Slayerdramon.

"Hi Dorumon..."

"...is something wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing..." I told him, finishing my container of DigiNoir before walking out to see the order in which we will compete in this bracket.

"...what's up with him?" Ouryumon asked.

"I don't know...he did seem on edge going into this..." Slayerdramon responded. The three of them walked out into the spectators area to see a huge hologram in the center of the arena. It had finished randomizing the competitors, and showed that Dorbickmon was to fight in the seventh match of this round.

"Looks like Carlos will have to get through this bracket if he wants to have a chance of facing Kiriha." Slayerdramon muttered. As the first match begins, Dorumon watched intently as the two opponents battled, while Slayerdramon and Ouryumon conversed with each other. After ten minutes, I walked up to them after leaving the competitors area.

"Hey..." Slayerdramon looked over.

"Hi..."

Both of us looked over and noticed the first match ended already, in favor of a digimon that was clad in red armor, with golden patterns and a flame emblem designed on it. He wore black armor underneath to cover the rest of his body. The armor on his shoulders was forged to resemble two dragon heads. The same went for the armor on his forearms, which was blue with yellow patterns on top, and red with gold markings near the dragon head. The digimon wore black gloves with yellow lines on the fingers, as well as an orange helmet with three horns protruding out of the top, one of them near his snout and the other two are on the sides of his head. He had blue eyes, and a white blade with a cerulean colored handle. The edges of the blade were gold colored as on top of the handle was a plate of armor forged onto the blade to resemble half of a sun.

"EmperorGreymon's strength was incredible!" Dorumon commented, "His opponent barely stood a chance!"

I sat down next to them as the next match; a Garudamon vs a Gigadramon began. Dorumon observed the two fight.

"Hmm...both have the power of flight and long range attacks...I think Gigadramon has a slight advantage due to having more artillery..."

We observed the match, and it seemed to go that way for most of the battle. However in the end Garudamon ended up with the win. Dorumon smiled.

"Well, that's a surprise."

As the matches continued, one thing seemed clear; Dorumon was a surprisingly excellent analyst. He knew many of the competitors strengths and weaknesses, and predicted the winner based on that. Dorumon was correct for the next three matches. The sixth match was between a Raindramon and a Kyuubimon. Raindramon was a quadruped blue dragon in black armor with horns shaped like thunderbolts protruding from his head, with red eyes and white claws. Kyuubimon was a yellow fox with white fur on its chest, underbelly and feet, as well as on the tips of its nine tails. She had a red and white ring that was tied like a bow around her neck, with the tips having two small bells. She boasted the symbol for Tao on her forehead.

"Another tough one..." Dorumon observed the two, "Kyuubimon's a bit more tricky than Raindramon, so maybe..."

As the battle winded down to it's winner, Raindramon, I got up and walked out since it was time for the seventh match.

"Good luck..." Dorumon muttered. Walking into one side of the arena, our opponent was a Groundramon. Groundramon was a green quadruped dragon with a red horn on his snout and two on his lower jaw. He had red eyes, and gill like spikes protruding from his cheeks. On his back were two huge arms, with a small wing on the side, and boasted razor sharp claws, adapted for digging. There was a small steel plate on them, and his tail boasted a spiked ball made of iron On his forelegs was this steel cylinder protruding out from on top of the knee cap, and he had a row of red scales running down his back. Although our overseer for this bracket was Apollomon, the arbitrator was actually Dorulumon.

"It's been a while kid..." he told me, turning to Groundramon, "Are you both ready?"

Groundramon nodded, as did I. Taking out my Xros Loader, Dorbickmon reloaded from the device, and most of the spectators were shocked.

"Go for it!" Slayerdramon cheered.

"Alright...begin!" Dorulumon shouted.

"Giga Crack!" Groundramon slammed his whole body onto the ground, creating a fissure. Dorbickmon jumped in the air to avoid it, and attacked with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire. Groundramon blocked the attack with the arms on his back. As they fought, Dorumon looked around, noting that many digimon had glares of hate on their faces. It saddened him, but he looked back to the fight.

"...Groundramon is an excellent digger. If he wanted to, he could take to the ground and await for his chance. But Dorbickmon is fast and strong, he'd probably foresee him attempt that and take the advantage."

Dorbickmon attempted to use Burning the Dragon to trap Groundramon in between the stones that appeared, but Groundramon provided a retaliation.

"Megaton Hammer Crush!" the drake swung his tail around and destroyed the rocks with the iron sphere on his tail. He quickly tried to follow it up by hitting Dorbickmon when he jumped over the drake, but Dorbickmon managed to flip himself over in the air, placing on of his hands on Groundramon's back, and pushed himself upward again, landing in front of me.

"Groundramon also doesn't have any projectile attacks. Dorbickmon can attack from afar." Dorumon added.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon shot out two bursts of fire at Groundramon, who jumped away to avoid it. Mid-jump however, Dorbickmon used Burning The Dragon right under the drake's projected landing spot, trapping Groundramon in a hole. Dorbickmon attacked with another Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, hitting Groundramon dead on. When the smoke cleared, Groundramon was down for the count. It was a full minute before the drake rose to his feet, ready for more. Dorbickmon charged at him, and Groundramon attacked with Giga Crack. Dorbickmon jumped to avoid it, but Groundramon lunged at him, trapping him in between the arms on his back.

"Scrapless Claw!" he roared as he started crushing Dorbickmon in between both claws. Dorbickmon struggled to break free, but his arms were caught in Groundramon's strong grip. In point-blank range, he fired Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, hitting Groundramon's face. When the smoke cleared, Dorbickmon had some injuries, but Groundramon was out cold, and after three minutes, Dorulumon announced us as the winners. There was a huge wave of silence as most of the spectators glared at us, as if we cheated. Dorbickmon simply walked back and went into the Xros Loader. I tilted my head down and walked out of the arena. Meeting up with Slayerdramon in the spectators area, he put his arm around me.

"Good job..." he muttered, "And don't worry about them, you'll change their minds soon enough..."

"...I'm gonna get something to drink..."

Standing up, Slayerdramon watched me walk away and noticed a few digimon give a slight glare then turn back to the arena as the eight match began.

"I'll be right back..." Slayerdramon growled, angered by all this commotion, and followed posthaste. He searched around the building, and eventually found me sitting behind a few crates near a storage room in a hallway with very few digimon walking around.

"Hey..."

"...hi."

Slayerdramon sat down next to me, and started talking, "I saw those looks they gave you...it was horrible to see so many glares directed at you. Still, you came here to prove them wrong. Don't let their misplaced hatred prevent you from achieving the crown."

He placed his arm on my shoulder again, "Know that we will always be on your side..."

"...I'll try." I responded. All that hatred was spurring negative feelings inside, but he was right. The reason we signed up for this is to prove that Dorbickmon deserves a second chance, as does the other four Death Generals. While all that hatred was directed at us, it must not prevent us from achieving what we came here to prove. About an hour later, and with that notion in mind, I stood up and walked back to the arena for our second match as it was announced. Walking into the arena, our next opponent was the winner of the eight match; JagerLowemon. The digimon was a quadruped lion made from Obsidian DigiZoid armor entirely, even his mane was composed of the armor, as it was spiked back. With red eyes and six red jewels; one on his back, another on his forehead, and the other four on his shoulders and hind legs, his armor had many golden patterns on it, some that resembled plants and clouds, which resulted in giving him a more regal appearance. His claws were also composed of that gold armor, and he had two small gun ports on his shoulders, with the ammunition built into the side of his hind legs. Six smaller gun ports were also adorned in the front of his shins. Dorbickmon reloaded from the Xros Loader.

"Alright you two..." Dorulumon looked at the two, "Begin!"

"Ebony Blast!" JagerLowemon shot out a dark burst of energy from his mouth that was charged from the ammunition ports on his hind legs as he approached Dorbickmon. The dragon avoided each attack and retaliated with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, but the lion jumped in the air, using Ebony Blast to counter. Both attacks created an explosion, but in the smoke, Dorbickmon was hit by one of JagerLowemon's blasts. It pushed him back as the digimon appeared behind him and slammed into him.

"JagerLowemon's fast..." Dorumon muttered as he watched the lion start wearing Dorbickmon down, "He can attack from afar and move close enough to his opponents in a short enough time to attack them before they can react. If Dorbickmon's not careful, it could be a problem."

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

JagerLowemon countered with Ebony Blast, but Dorbickmon trapped him inside the earth using Burning The Dragon . As the digimon struggled to break free, Dorbickmon summoned his sword of flames.

"Tyrant Collbrande!" he roared as he attacked with a vertical swing.

"Dark Master!"

As dark energy came out of JagerLowemon's mouth, the jewels on his body flashed as the energy engulfed him in a dark lion-shaped aura. He broke out of his trap and charged at Dorbickmon. The drake jumped out of the way, but was hit on the shoulder. Dorbickmon grunted in pain as he dropped his sword. JagerLowemon landed on the other side of the field, panting with exhaustion from his last barrage of attacks, since he wanted to finish this quickly. However he kept up the assault.

"Ebony Blast!"

He shot out blasts of dark energy at Dorbickmon, who jumped out of the way and grabbed his sword, taking some of the attack as a consequence.

"Grah!"

When the smoke faded, he was still standing, and gripped his sword tightly. The two glared each other down, with JagerLowemon snarling, as he attacked again.

"Dark Master!"

He charged at Dorbickmon again, who in turn, ran towards him and leapt into the air.

"Tyrant Collbrande!"

Dorbickmon attacked with a horizontal swing through the aura. Both competitors landed on opposite sides of the field, as the dark aura surrounding JagerLowemon faded. The lion collapsed on the floor, damaged from Dorbickmon's attack, and we won the match after the three minute count. Dorbickmon walked back towards me, and was stored in my Xros Loader. The result was the same as the first match; many Digimon were watching with a look of hate and disgust. While I walked off, they looked over. It might have been a few minutes in the ring, but to me it felt like an eternity.

"Poor kid..." Dorulumon muttered. Hiding away near the storage crates, Slayerdramon walked up a few minutes later. He sat next to me, never muttering a word. It wasn't until half an hour later when Apollomon, who was walking down the hallway and saw us, that we broke the silence.

"Apollomon!" Slayerdramon was surprise to see him. Apollomon glanced down at me.

"What's wrong...?" he asked.

"Carlos...you can tell him." Slayerdramon placed his hand on my shoulder. Taking his advice, I explained to Apollomon the situation and his reaction was stern.

"Listen, don't let their hate get to you. I've been watching you and Dorbickmon, and I've seen nothing but honorable and fair play in your battles. That alone has shown me that Dorbickmon has changed. Peaceful resistance is difficult, but it's one of the most powerful ways to show them that they are wrong."

"He's right, you didn't come this far to turn back and run." Slayerdramon added. While those glares discouraged me even more this time around, both of them were right; it was difficult to change one's opinion, especially when it comes to Dorbickmon, considering what he's done. But it was the reason I entered, and if we could change RizeGreymon and Darkdramon's opinions, then we could change the view of everyone watching. Slayerdramon smiled when he saw me nod in agreement.

"Go out there and win kid." he nodded. Both of us got up and I started walking towards the stands as our third match, the second round of the semifinals, was announced.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: A Change In Opinion: The Group A Finals**

As I walked through the competitor's lane toward the arena, something was amiss. Since it was a long alleyway, which had two sharp turns, one of which split into two ways, the left way leading to an emergency exit and the right leading to the normal exit of the competitors lane, there were usually two or three Knightmon surveying the area so that no trouble would occur for the combatants, but there was no sign of them. Turning around the first corner, a gruff voiced called out from behind me.

"Hey kid..." it growled. Glancing over was a mistake, because right after someone grabbed me from behind.

"What the hell?!"

The digimon was a bipedal black lion with a long mane, wearing ripped pants. His claws were blood red, and he had bones protruding out of his chest and shoulders. His forearms were covered by weights. Even though he stood on two legs, he slouched over like a gorilla, while it glared at me with its red eyes.

"Who are you?!"

"Heh..." the other digimon revealed himself to be none other than ShadowWereGarurumon.

"Y-you!" I stammered, "How'd you escape prison?!"

"It's easy to slip away when someone causes a riot." he smirked.

"And why are you here?!"

"Same reason we attacked Dorbickmon, but now it's your turn. And my friend MadLeomon has more than enough muscle to break you bone by bone." he growled. MadLeomon started crushing me in his grip.

"Gah!"

"Let him go!" A familiar voice ordered, as the digimon slammed into MadLeomon. The beast released his grip as Slayerdramon grabbed me and placed me on the floor, standing in front of me.

"Hmph...so you've got a new friend." ShadowWereGarurumon snarled, "Don't think that will save you. We will get you isolated from your buddies, and revenge will be served today."

Both he and MadLeomon ran away, yelling, "If you don't want to get hurt, you'd better forfeit!"

"Those bastards..." Slayerdramon gritted his teeth, "Carlos, don't you dare listen to them! You head to that match and do the best you can! You've never allowed adversity to hold you back before!"

"I know that Slayerdramon. I won't forfeit. But he's elusive. One way or another he will catch me even when I'm careful."

"If it helps, then I'll stay by your side until this is over." Slayerdramon offered.

"You can't. Paildramon and Dorbickmon are the only digimon that are by rule, authorized to be in my Xros Loader for the preliminaries. If it continues in the finals, then maybe you can help, but right now you're breaking the rules by being in an area only competitors can have access to."

"There has to be some way to protect you..."

"Right now, worry about finding the Knightmon that were suppose to be guarding this area."

With that, I walked out into the arena for our semifinal match.

"I'm not giving up..." Slayerdramon muttered, and walked off so he wouldn't get caught.

Our opponent this time was a MagnaGarurumon. He was clad in blue armor from head to toe, with yellow markings on his feet, shin guards, and shoulders. On his chest was armor shaped like the front of a plane, with gun ports adorned on it, and jet wings on the back. On his right arm, he boasted a huge cannon that looked like it weighed a ton. It had three golden ammunition ports and had two barrels on it. On his left arm was a smaller cannon, with a huge twelve bullet revolver. It fit like a gauntlet on his forearm. On his back were also two yellow bands that stretched down to his legs. His face was that of a metal wolf's with red eyes that had no iris. Similar to EmperorGreymon, he wore black gloves with yellow lines on the fingers.

"Alright, you two ready?" Dorulumon asked. MagnaGarurumon readied his weapons as Dorbickmon reloaded from out of the Xros Loader.

"...begin!" Dorulumon shouted. Dorbickmon made the first move by attacking with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, but MagnaGarurumon ignited the jet booster and avoided the attack with incredible speed. Dorumon observed the two from the stands.

"MagnaGarurumon's speed allows him to attack and evade with ease, just like JagerLowemon. However, he tends to get rid of his ammunition fast, and then self-destruct the armor on his chest. After that, he'll resort to using his blade and speed, but his armor will be weaker. Dorbickmon better be prepared."

"Feral Fire!" MagnaGarurumon fired round after round of ammunition from the cannon on his right arm, as he made his approach. Dorbickmon avoided the attack and retaliated with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, as he tried to keep his distance from the wolf. MagnaGarurumon blocked it with his right arm, and continued his assault.

"Magna Missiles!" he fired five missiles from the hatch on his wings, which homed in on Dorbickmon. He jumped to avoid it, but MagnaGarurumon quickly appeared behind him and slammed Dorbickmon to the ground with his cannon, as he hovered over the dragon.

"Urgh..." Dorbickmon groaned from the attack, as he rose to his feet, looking around for the wolf.

"Up here!" MagnaGarurumon exclaimed, "Feral Fire!"

He shot out rounds from his cannon, which Dorbickmon avoided. MagnaGarurumon soon ran out of ammo, and hurled the cannon at the drake, who evaded it. MagnaGarurumon soared at him.

"Feral Fire!" he shout out rounds from the revolver on his arm. Dorbickmon used Burning The Dragon to make a boulder rise out of the ground, hurling it at MagnaGarurumon, who avoided it.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" the drake roared. Catching the wolf off guard, he hit MagnaGarurumon with two bursts of fire.

"Grah!" the wolf fell toward the floor, but managed to land on his feet.

"Not bad...but we're not done yet."

MagnaGarurumon flew at Dorbickmon, firing Feral Fire at the drake. Dorbickmon summoned his sword and blocked the attack, but was surprised when MagnaGarurumon grabbed him by the shoulders. The armor on the wolf's chest flashed as he self-destructed the machinery, quickly jumping out of the explosion. His armor was a lighter blue underneath, and on his chest was a part of red armor with a symbol on it. Much of the rest of the armor remained the same.

"Heh..." the wolf smirked, as the armor on his forearm opened up and out of it, a sword made of light came out. He gripped the handle as Dorbickmon struggled to stand.

"Starburst Hunter!" MagnaGarurumon was engulfed in a light as he charged at the exhausted Dorbickmon.

"Now..." I grabbed my Xros Loader, raising it in the air, "Dorbickmon! Paildramon! DigiXros!"

MagnaGarurumon abruptly stopped his attack, as Dorbickmon was engulfed in the light from the Xros Loader.

"DigiXros!" Both he and Paildramon yelled, as they DigiXrossed together. The light faded.

"Dorbickmon, P Xros!"

"So this is what DigiXrossing is like..." MagnaGarurumon muttered.

"Desperado Fire!" the blasters on Dorbickmon's waist lit up, as did the cannons on his chest, as a barrage of fireballs homed in on MagnaGarurumon. The wolf attempted to avoid them, but there was too many even for his speed, and he was hit dead on.

"Grah!" he yelled in pain. When the smoke cleared, he was damaged, but still standing. Dorbickmon summoned his flaming sword, which glowed brightly as Dorbickmon prepared his attack. MagnaGarurumon charged at him.

"Starburst Hunter!" the wolf attacked, enveloped in light, but Dorbickmon was expecting it.

"Tyrant Strike!" the blade emanated a bright light as Dorbickmon hit the wolf with a horizontal strike, as MagnaGarurumon appeared on the other side of the field. He grunted in pain and collapsed on the floor, and we won the semifinal match after three minutes of the wolf staying on the floor unconscious. Dorbickmon walked towards me, quite exhausted as he split back up into himself and Paildramon and they went into my Xros Loader. When MagnaGarurumon woke up, I gave him a thumbs up as sign of a good match, and he smiled and returned the gesture. Walking out of the arena, the glares of the crowd no longer bothered me, since there was a bigger problem to worry about. That problem was ShadowWereGarurumon and his friend. Looking around my surroundings, the fact that he could attack from anywhere filled me with a bit of paranoia. Turning around the first sharp turn, everything felt like it was going well, and the sight of the exit from the competitors lane filled me with relief. However, that relief was short lived, because before I could get over there, something grabbed me from behind, making me drop my Xros Loader.

Slayerdramon was waiting outside, as they announced that the final match of the bracket would begin in half an hour.

"What's taking him so long..." the drake wondered. He stood there, with his back resting on one of the walls as he crossed his arms. But after ten minutes of waiting, he realized something was wrong.

"He should have been back by now!"

Despite the rule, Slayerdramon ran up and jumped over the barrier, running inside.

"Hey!" the Knightmon guarding the entrance noticed and chased after him. Slayerdramon turned the corner and noticed ShadowWereGarurumon and MadLeomon sneak away. He was about to follow them furiously when he heard my voice.

"Slayer...dramon..."

"Carlos..." he followed the sound of my voice. Slayerdramon found my Xros Loader, and as he hurried he eventually found me on the floor, beaten and bruised up badly. The most notable injuries were the claw marks on my cheek, but they had bruised me internally. The Knightmon who chased after Slayerdramon showed up, and saw us.  
"Get help!" Slayerdramon ordered. Upon noting the damaged state I was in, the Knightmon nodded and ran off. Slayerdramon gritted his teeth in anger.

"Those...callous...bastards! I'll slit their throats out when-!"

"Don't..." he heard me tell him. Slayerdramon looked at me with shock, and a bit of anger.

"I can't stand back and watch you suffer!"

"But if you get revenge...and they find out...then we'll get disqualified...and this would have been for nothing...remember...what Apollomon told us..." my vision started blurring, as his voice started fading.

"Stay with us! We're getting help!" he told me, but it was too late, and everything faded into black.

"Carlos!" Slayerdramon grabbed me and ran out, as the Knightmon returned. He escorted Slayerdramon to the infirmary they had. They took no time in waiting, and started treating the wounds immediately, while he stayed close. It was around that moment, that Apollomon had walked by and saw the two of us.

"No..." he walked up to Slayerdramon as they took him into a small room, "What happened?!"

"...someone wanted revenge..." Slayerdramon explained, "And they succeeded..."

Apollomon looked down, and clenched his fist in anger, "Who did this...?"

"A ShadowWereGarurumon and a MadLeomon..." Slayerdramon responded. Apollomon nodded slowly and walked out. He headed towards the arena to announce this. As kindhearted as he was, this was a sacred place, and this dishonor and desecration would not go without justice. Meanwhile outside, everyone was wondering why the final match hadn't started. Gumdramon, who had finished his bracket a few minutes ago, was waiting with Dracomon.

"Hey...wasn't the final match of Group A suppose to have started already?" he asked.

"It should have...I think something's wrong..." Dracomon responded. Everyone was clueless until Apollomon walked into the arena, and announced it in a stern, serious voice.

"The final match of the Group A division will be put on hold until further notice. One of the competitors has received many injuries that could be severe."

"No...it couldn't be..." Dracomon muttered, as he and Gumdramon rushed out to the infirmary.

"That person was none other than the human partner of the Fire-Fury General Dorbickmon!"

The crowd was surprised to hear the news, as Shoutmon looked over from the stands.

"No..." he rushed out to the infirmary.

Apollomon in anger, roared, "You all have yourselves to blame! Each and everyone of you who glared at the boy! Your hatred for another Digimon has caused an innocent human to get hurt! Is that what you all wanted?! To have a boy whose done nothing wrong suffer injuries because you all hold a grudge for the Digimon he is partnered with?! THE WAR IS OVER! It's time to move on from that era!"

The complete crowd was silent. Not a single word was uttered to rebuttal against what Apollomon has told them. The lion turned over to the exit.

"Come on kid...don't give up..." he muttered, walking off.

Shoutmon ran into the infirmary room, and noticed Gumdramon, Dracomon and the others were already there. He glanced over at Dorbickmon, who was looking out the window, with his normal serious glare on his face.

"Dorbickmon...I didn't think...ShadowWereGarurumon could escape from such a well protected prison..."

Dorbickmon stayed silent, since it didn't make a difference to him if the tournament would move on without us.

"How is he?" Slayerdramon asked the medic, who was another digimon named Sorcermon. Sorcermon resembled a wizard with long yellow hair, cyan colored eyes and pale blue skin. He wore a white cape, which was blue on the inside, and had symbols written in DigiCode, as well as a white witch hat. The veil covering his mouth was white and had a skull adorned under it. He wore long, white pants which had zippers near the legs and were designed to look like ghouls with cyan eyes, and a cyan colored vest stitched together. He wore gloves with zippers on the palm, and brown elf shoes with a crescent moon emblem on them. He waved his magic wand, which was shaped like a snowflake near the top, as he examined the injuries and healed them.

"He has some internal bleeding and scratches, but the most serious injury is a dislocated shoulder..."

Slayerdramon sighed in relief, "Good...so he should heal..."

Sorcermon finished the examination and excused himself before walking out. At the same time Apollomon had walked into the room.

"Apollomon..." Dracomon muttered.

"...we caught the culprits." Apollomon told them. Slayerdramon looked down.

"I should have stayed with him..." the drake punched the wall, "Damn it!"

"How is he?" Apollomon asked.

"A dislocated shoulder...but he'll be fine..." Slayerdramon responded. Apollomon glanced at Dorbickmon.

"I need a decision from you to proceed with the tournament. What will you do now?"

Dorbickmon stayed silent. To him, it didn't matter what others thought of him; just as long as he wasn't annoyed by them. Everyone looked down, noting what he'll decide, but the silence was broken a few minutes later.

"We're...still going...!"

Everyone looked over, surprised when they saw me getting up from the bed. I slammed my shoulder on the wall with as much strength as possible, relocating the shoulder.

"Carlos!" Slayerdramon, Dorumon and Dracomon exclaimed.

"We've gotten this far. We won't let it all waste away..." turning to Apollomon, I gave him my answer, "We're fighting, no matter what."

The answer put a smile on his face as he walked out to make the announcement.

"But what about your injuries?" Dorumon asked, worried.

"My head's not cracked. My heart's not stopping. I'll be fine."

Following Dorbickmon, we walked out to attend the match. Slayerdramon smiled.

"He's got a lot of spirit..."

"I hope he doesn't overexert himself..." Dorumon muttered.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine." Dracomon responded

Outside, Apollomon walked out onto the arena, and the entire audience stayed silent, tuning in. With pride, he announced to the spectators, "Dorbickmon and his partner will continue fighting!"

A huge roar of cheers echoed throughout the entire coliseum, even inside the halls.

"They're...cheering...?" my eyes widened with surprise.

"For you guys." Shoutmon smiled.

"For us...?"

Shoutmon nodded slowly, "Go..."

Following Dorbickmon, we walked out toward the arena. Slayerdramon smiled as he went with the others to go find their seats. In the arena, our opponent was waiting, and was none other than EmperorGreymon.

"Glad to see you're alright kid." he told me, "It wouldn't feel the same if I had won by default."

"It wouldn't?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"No. To me, winning only feels good when you've earned that victory."

"I see..."

"I look forward to our battle." he responded, as he walked onto the field, with Dorbickmon following afterward. Dorulumon looked at the two, "Are you both ready?"

Both of them nodded in agreement, and the spectators looked glued to their seats with excitement.

"This will be a tough one..." Dorumon muttered.

"What makes you say that?" Ouryumon asked, glancing down at the digimon.

"EmperorGreymon is very powerful, both in offense and defense, and he has high endurance."

"...the kid will figure something out." Ouryumon responded.

"He will, I'm sure of it." Dorumon watched intently.

"Alright then...begin!" Dorulumon yelled. EmperorGreymon made the first move by grabbing his sword, as he placed both hands on the cross-guard. The edges of the sword opened up as the sword started glowing.

"Dragonfire Crossbow!" he yelled, as he tightened his grip on the cross-guard and the sword shot out a burst of energy in the shape of a spear. Dorbickmon jumped out of the way at the last second, and retaliated with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire. EmperorGreymon used his sword and blocked the attack, as Dorbickmon landed on the ground. Both of them charged at each other, and engaged in close combat, matching each other blow for blow. The force of their fists caused a small shock wave to spread through the arena. As Dorumon watched, he noticed something.

"Something wrong Dorumon?" Gumdramon asked.

"They're evenly matched now, but EmperorGreymon is holding back, look."

As the two fought, Gumdramon noticed EmperorGreymon easily reading Dorbickmon's attacks and blocking them perfectly, occasionally retaliating with a punch or two to slowly wear down the drake.

"I see..." Gumdramon then glanced at Slayerdramon, and was surprised to see him smiling.

"Slayerdramon? What's up?" Gumdramon asked.

"Oh nothing..." the drake responded.

"...you think Dorbickmon can win, don't you?"

"Of course, they didn't come this far just to fail."

"I expect them to win as well." Dorumon added. In the arena however, EmperorGreymon landed a strong blow to Dorbickmon's stomach.

"Guh!" the drake slouched over, and EmperorGreymon kicked him away. The warrior stabbed his sword into the ground, as the earth started shaking.

"Dorbickmon, look out!" Dorumon exclaimed.

"Pyro Dragon!" EmperorGreymon roared. From out of the earth, nine dragons made of pure fire rose up and headed straight for Dorbickmon. The drake managed to use Burning the Dragon to form a shield of rock over his entire body, as the attack hit and caused a huge explosion.

"Nice!" Dorumon commented.

When the smoke cleared, EmperorGreymon was surprised to see that Dorbickmon seemed to have vanished, and started looking around for him.

"Where'd he go?!"

While he was distracted, I smiled slightly, "...now."

From out of the ground below EmperorGreymon's feet, Dorbickmon resurfaced and hit the opponent with a strong uppercut under EmperorGreymon's chin. The digimon dropped his sword, but managed to flip himself over before he hit the ground and landed safely.

"Not bad..." EmperorGreymon told us, grabbing his sword. However, something felt off about his performance.

"...you're holding back aren't you?" I asked him. The look of slight surprise on his face was enough to answer the question.

"...heh...you caught me." he smirked.

"Dorumon...how did you know that?" Dracomon asked. Dorumon was too focused on the match to answer.

"I have a tendency to get a bit carried away..." EmperorGreymon explained.

"Do us a favor; show us everything you've got. Let us witness your true might!"

My request seemed to have made him smile, as he chuckled.

"Hehehe...well alright kid, I'll show you everything I've got!" he grabbed his sword with both hands. The edges of the blade opened up as he attacked with Dragonfire Crossbow. Dorbickmon dodged the blast, but in a mere instant, EmperorGreymon appeared behind him and landed a strong blow to the drake's face.

"Guh!" Dorbickmon grunted in pain.

"Damn, he's fast!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. EmperorGreymon quickly retaliated with an uppercut, then grabbed Dorbickmon by his shoulders and gave him a strong knee to the gut.

"Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon yelled. EmperorGreymon grabbed the dazed dragon by the neck and slammed onto the ground head first. The drake groaned in pain, as the rest of his body fell to the floor. He laid there, dazed as EmperorGreymon kicked him away, and Dorbickmon halted to a stop in front of me.

"Urgh..." he groaned, as he slowly struggled to get up. EmperorGreymon grabbed his sword.

"Dragonfire Crossbow!" he fired a burst of flames from his sword. Dorbickmon managed to use Burning The Dragon to protect himself from the oncoming attack, as he rose to his feet.

"Impressive..." EmperorGreymon muttered.

"And we're just getting started." I told him, raising my Xros Loader in the air.

"Dorbickmon, Xros Shinka!"

"Go for it!" Slayerdramon exclaimed as Dorbickmon was engulfed in the bright light. He grew bigger as he evolved into Dragon Mode. EmperorGreymon grabbed his sword and was about to attack, but Dorbickmon flew behind him and grabbed him from behind, trapping the warrior's arms in his grip.

"Damn, he got faster!" EmperorGreymon growled. Dorbickmon started flying upward at a fast velocity, while EmperorGreymon tried to break free. After reaching an altitude of about 10,000 feet, Dorbickmon flipped over and started flying downward. The friction from the air caused them to be engulfed in a flame as they approached the ground. At the last second, Dorbickmon let go of EmperorGreymon, who crashed into the ground in an explosion caused by the flame. Dorbickmon landed in front of me. EmperorGreymon started getting up, but struggled slightly. Dorbickmon quickly used Burning The Dragon to immobilize him by trapping the warrior in a group of stalactites.

"Damn, I can't move...!" EmperorGreymon growled.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon fired two bursts of flame from the cannons on his chest. It hit EmperorGreymon dead on.

"Gah!" he yelled in pain.

"Is it over...?" Dracomon wondered. From out of the smoke though, a blast of fire hit Dorbickmon dead on.

"Grah!"

"Dorbickmon!"

When the smoke faded, we saw EmperorGreymon still standing, blade in hands, firing attack after attack of Dragonfire Crossbow. With every hit, Dorbickmon's energy depleted gradually, as he groaned and dropped to one knee in exhaustion.

"EmperorGreymon's one tough warrior..." Slayerdramon muttered. Dorbickmon slowly rose to his feet, as both he and EmperorGreymon were breathing heavily.

"Time...to end it...!" EmperorGreymon stabbed his sword into the ground, "I'll show you the true strength of my Dragon Soul Sword!"

The ground started shaking fiercely. Dorbickmon summoned his blade of flames, as he prepared himself for the attack.

"This could be it..." Dorumon watched intently.

"Pyro Dragon!"

From out of the ground, eight dragons of flame appeared, and from under EmperorGreymon's feet, the ninth one rose out, as the other eight fused into it, forming a bigger drake of fire. Dorbickmon transferred his strength into the sword, which caused the flame of the blade to grow in size. The two met in near explosive combat. Dorbickmon tried stabbing the huge drake so he could attack EmperorGreymon, but he kept missing due to the speed at which it evaded his attacks. The blade collided with the dragon's fangs, creating ripple effects that were felt by everyone in the audience. Eventually the two stopped briefly, as EmperorGreymon and Dorbickmon started catching their breaths. It looked like the attack was draining EmperorGreymon's energy quickly.

"You can do it Dorbickmon! Show him what you're made of!" I yelled. Dorbickmon roared as he attacked again. EmperorGreymon shifted the dragon to attack and bite Dorbickmon with its fangs, but Dorbickmon ducked to avoid the flame dragon, and cut off the drake's head with his sword, nullifying EmperorGreymon's Pyro Dragon, as he himself was hit by the attack, resulting in a huge explosion. From inside the smoke, Dorbickmon delivered a strong blow to EmperorGreymon's face, and when the smoke faded, everyone saw EmperorGreymon collapse on the floor, and after three minutes, he was still out and we won the match.

"Alright!" I exclaimed. The crowd roared in cheers.

"Phenomenal match!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. As Dorbickmon stood there in silence, EmperorGreymon started waking up.

"Urgh..." he held his head in pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw me in front of him.

"Hey..."

"...heh...you beat me kid..." he sat up, looking at me, "Congratulations on the win..."

"Thanks..." both of us bumped fists as a sign of good sportsmanship, and he rose to his feet.

"I hope I'll get to see a match as good as this in the finals next week."

"I'll try not to disappoint."

With that, he walked off, and in the competitors lane waiting for him was MagnaGarurumon. The two must have been friends. I turned around to see a hologram appear over us. It showed the winners of each group, which were none other than me, Ryouma, Tagiru, Kiriha. Apollomon walked up to me.

"Congratulations, you've truly earned the respect of this crowd." he handed me a small chip resembling the one I used to enter the preliminaries, only this time it was colored gold. "Use this to enter the finals. I wish you good luck."

"Thanks Apollomon..."

Walking out of the coliseum, the sun started setting, and Slayerdramon and the other were waiting for me.

"Congrats on the win, kid." Ouryumon told me.

"Thanks, now I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved. Let's go home and eat!"

"Yeah!" they all cheered. With no objections, Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon went into my Xros Loader. Rob, Dorumon and I climbed onto Wingdramon's shoulders, and we soared back to Dragon Land, with Ouryumon, RizeGreymon, and the others following.

We were unaware however, that another digimon had observed us throughout the entire day. Situated on top of a nearby mountain's peak. He wore a red mask that covered his nose and forehead, but still showed his evil yellow eyes with no iris. The digimon wore mostly white armor, and on his shoulders were two orbs with mouths that were closed, but still revealed their red fangs. The six eyes on the left orb were colored cyan, and the right orb had six red eyes. They were colored a deep purple on the top. On his breastplate that was the same purple hue, the digimon bore a red symbol of a ghoul. His groin guard was forged to look like the head of a reptile, and had black eyes and yellow irises. He bore a long tail, which was sharp near the tip. Along with his legs, which had a black and white mask with red eyes on both kneecaps, and armor on the back of his legs which were the same deep violet shade and was connected through four red spikes, he had huge gauntlets, which had a mark of violet near the elbows and three violet claws that wielded two smaller red claws on each fingertip. They had the same eyes as the orbs on his shoulders. He had huge purple wings on his back, which were red and had a jaguar spot pattern to it. It was adorned with the same mask he had on his knee guards, as well as spikes that protruded out of the back of the part where the wings connected. To top it off, he had yellow hair spiked back and a yellow scar on both sides of his face, as well as a small jaguar pattern near the armor on his neck. He gave an evil smirk, and took to the skies. The digimon traveled to an undisclosed location, enshrouded in a huge cloud of darkness. He entered with no fear, and eventually found a silhouette of a dark castle. The digimon walked in through the main gate, and made his way up the pitch black corridors, advancing up each floor. He eventually reached the top of the castle, which was pitch black except for a few torches here and there. The digimon walked down the hall, and got down on one knee.

"I have returned..." he announced. His voice was deep and dark.

"What was the result...?" another voice asked. The digimon smirked.

"It went exactly as you hypothesized...Master DarkKnightmon..."

The familiar black knight walked out of the shadows, "Impressive...so Dorbickmon has gotten stronger yet again..."

"Also, ShadowWereGarurumon was apprehended yet again..." the digimon added. DarkKnightmon chuckled evilly.

"So even with our little riot in that prison, he still was sent back. No matter, he did his job well." the knight glanced over to a torch, "How is your search for collecting dark energy progressing, MaloMyotismon...?"

The digimon smirked, "It's going smoothly, my master...the collection is growing as you projected. A bit more and you'll be able to move on with Phase Two of your plan"

"Good..." DarkKnightmon chuckled, "Then I believe it's time to pay Dorbickmon another visit..."

"What do you plan to do, my lord...?" MaloMyotismon asked.

"I plan to manipulate the boy's new friend Slayerdramon, to assist us in our plan by being the next to test out the Dark DigiMemory." DarkKnightmon showed his servant the new DigiMemory, which was emanating a dark flame.

"Now that I have infused it with most of what remained of the Shadow Virus, except for a piece I might find useful for a later time, it has empowered my little device, and will turn the drake into a mindless beast that only has a craving for blood if he tries to resist."

"How will you accomplish getting the digimon to join us, my liege...?"

"Simple, I'll capture him when he's most vulnerable, and we'll manipulate his memories. You see where this leads..."

"I do..." the digimon responded.

"Then I don't have to explain your part. You know what to do." DarkKnightmon smirked, and walked off. MaloMyotismon gave an evil smirk.

"I'll brush up on my Mental Illusion technique..."


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Manipulation: Slayerdramon an Enemy**

We left Dorbickmon alone so he could rest for the night. His battle with EmperorGreymon left him in a state of exhaustion, even with the Xros Loader healing his injuries. As he filled his room with the sound of his loud snoring, I walked in and placed a container of DigiNoir next to him so he had something to eat when he woke up. Walking down toward the second floor, Slayerdramon waited for me.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Snorebickmon's peacefully asleep. And I'm pretty sure he's planning to stay that way."

My response caused Slayerdramon to laugh. We walked outside the castle and sat down against the castle gate, looking up at the sky. The sight of millions of stars was astounding.

"Sure is a beautiful night..." Slayerdramon muttered, glancing over, "So, what's your game plan for the finals next week?"

"Same as last time. We're going to fight Kiriha and win. Although the crowd has finally forgiven Dorbickmon, he and Kiriha share a common trait in that actions speak louder than words for the two."

"Some things never change, do they?" Slayerdramon smiled.

"They certainly don't..."

He placed his hand around me, as we gazed at the night sky. There were not nearly as many stars out at night in the human world. We were silent for a few minutes

"...if it's not too personal...when did you and Ouryumon meet?" he heard me ask him.

"When we were children, he helped me get back something that was stolen from me." Slayerdramon explained.

"I see..."

We sat there, watching the night pass for a few more minutes before going back inside to rest. The following morning, I asked Shoutmon to come over so we could talk. We walked across the riverbank near Dorbickmon's Castle.

"How are your injuries holding up?" he asked.

"I don't feel any chills anymore, and the scar on my face is starting to heal."

"That's good." he sighed in relief, "So, what did you need me for?"

"...do you know where Fanglongmon is...?"

"No, but I could look around. What do you need him for?" Shoutmon asked.

"I'd like to ask him for a favor. I'd like to know if he's willing to help me in the semifinal match in the case I'm not facing Kiriha first."

"Ah, so you want him to be on your team for the semifinal." Shoutmon nodded in understanding, "I'll see what I can do, and relay the message to him if I find him."

"Thanks, so how's being a king going?" I asked.

"Aside from helping other digimon with long, difficult chores they could probably accomplish themselves and being the host of a worldwide tournament, it's been quiet." he explained, putting his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, it's nice to not have to worry about DarkKnightmon."

"You got that right." Shoutmon smiled, "Well, I've got to go back to the castle. My kingly duties await."

"Alright, thanks Shoutmon. Tell Taiki and the others I said 'hi'."

"Anytime." he smiled. With that, we both went our separate ways. Shoutmon headed back to the castle.

When I walked inside Dorbickmon's Castle, there seemed to be an argument going on between Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon. Dracomon was watching the two.

"What's going on Dracomon?"

"Well, from what I've figured out, Slayerdramon apparently walked into Dorbickmon's room when he wasn't around. He searched the entire room, and...well...an attempt to explain himself has turned into a heated argument." Dracomon explained, "Now it's degenerated into them throwing insults at each other."

I see..." both of us looked over at the two.

"Look!" Slayerdramon exclaimed, "I told you I was sorry! I was just searching for the Xros Loader Ouryumon and I had! I figured since I couldn't find it anywhere, I assumed you had found it and placed it in your room!"

"Only an idiot like you would lose an item like that!" Dorbickmon snarled, "I might have let you to stay here, but my quarters is off limits to you and everyone else!"

"Quit calling me an idiot, you self-loving drake!" Slayerdramon snapped, "At least I don't endanger everyone I meet!"  
"If you can't handle being in danger, then stay back and let the strong take care of it, miserable coward!"

"Here it comes..." I muttered, "Once Dorbickmon mentions the weak and the strong, he won't stop belittling..."

"Listen you draconian bastard!" Slayerdramon shoved him aside, "If you can't stand me searching for something in your room, then you're a bigger coward than any of us!"

Dorbickmon snapped at the comment, roaring, "Get out of my castle!"

"With pleasure!" Slayerdramon barked, and made his way towards the castle door.

"Slayerdramon!"

He turned to me, "I'm sorry Carlos, but I can't stand Dorbickmon's attitude right now! I'm staying somewhere else today!"

With that, he stormed off, and Dorbickmon did the same as he headed towards his room. Dracomon and I sighed.

"Great...now Slayerdramon's gone and Dorbickmon's pissed off..."

"Where do you think he will stay...?" Dracomon asked.

"I don't know...he'll probably sleep in the cabin he took me to when I was mad at Dorbickmon...but the only way to be sure is to ask Ouryumon..."

"He left this morning though..." Dracomon explained, "He told me he had some things to take care of..."

"Damn it...I guess we will have to wait until he gets back."

Both of us spent the day waiting for Ouryumon to return from wherever he went off to. Since Dorbickmon was angry, he didn't come out of his room, leaving the castle with the sound of silence for the rest of the day. It became sunset before we saw Ouryumon flying over in the distance.

"He's coming." Dracomon told me. Ouryumon landed in front of us.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Slayerdramon stormed off after he and Dorbickmon got into an argument..." Dracomon explained. Ouryumon sighed in response, as if he wasn't surprised.

"Do you know where he went?"

"I do..." he responded, "You two stay here and wait. I'll find him."

The serpent took to the skies again and left in search of Slayerdramon.

"Good luck Ouryumon..." Dracomon muttered, as he and I went back into the castle.

Slayerdramon on the other hand, was in the cabin near the eastern mountain range that he knew of. In his anger towards Dorbickmon, he started drinking to relax himself and relieve his mind of the stress.

"Stupid Dorbickmon..." he muttered as he poured a drink into his glass and guzzled it down, "That jerk wouldn't know about forgiveness if it hit him in the back of the head..."

As he drank, Ouryumon walked in a few minutes later. Slayerdramon looked over and noticed him.

"There you are..." Ouryumon muttered. Slayerdramon took another drink.

"Leave..." he caught the hiccups, "...me alone..."

"Slayerdramon..." Ouryumon walked up to him, "I heard what happened..."

Slayerdramon didn't look at Ouryumon, and merely filled up his glass again.

"...stupid Dorbickmon..." he muttered again.

"You should go apologize..." Ouryumon told him. Slayerdramon gave him a glare and stood up.

"I should apologize...?!" he snarled, as his voice developed a slur, "He...should apologize to me!"

"I should have told you I took the Xros Loader before leaving." Ouryumon explained, showing it to the drake, "I was using it to track down the members of the organization who are after us."

"Hmph..." Slayerdramon took another drink.

Ouryumon sighed, "Damn it Slayerdramon..."

Slayerdramon simply turned his back and ignored the serpent, as he continued to drink.

"Alright, fine...we will stay here..." Ouryumon caved in to Slayerdramon's stubbornness, "At least we should eat first. Don't you dare wander off. I'm going to go get some food."

The serpent walked toward the door, muttering, "You know you're just as stubborn as Dorbickmon when you're angry..."

With that, Ouryumon left the drunk drake to go grab some food for them. Slayerdramon simply kept drinking, until he heard the door close. It took his mind a few moments to understand what Ouryumon told him.

"O...Ouryumon...?" he looked back, but saw no sign of the serpent. He rose to his feet and started walking towards the door, wobbling most of the time, "W...wait..."

"How unfortunate..." he heard a voice behind him. Slayerdramon turned around, and in his blurry eyesight, noticed what looked like a dark knight.

"W...who...?"

"Was this 'Dorbickmon' a friend to you?" the knight muttered. Slayerdramon thought about it for a minute, then looked at the ground.

"I'm...and idiot..." he slurred. Although Dorbickmon never shows any emotion other than anger and seriousness, Slayerdramon in a way thought of him as a friend.

"Why do you think of yourself like that...?" the knight asked.

"I keep...making stupid mistakes..." Slayerdramon responded in a slur.

"Do you mind telling me what this stupid mistake is...?" the dark knight asked him.

"Sorry..." Slayerdramon hiccuped, "Not interested..."

"Very well..." the knight responded, heading toward the door, "To think I might have been able to help you..."

"Hm...?" Slayerdramon looked over at him. The knight stopped in his tracks.

"Help...me...? How...?" the drake asked.

"...I can't assist you...if you don't explain what happened..." the knight turned to him. Slayerdramon looked down. He wondered why this digimon was so insistent on helping him. Although he couldn't see the digimon clearly, he didn't ignore the fact that he wanted help patching things up with Dorbickmon, and this knight was the only one here with him at the moment.

"Well..." Slayerdramon slurred, as he sat down, "I...met this kid...one day..."

For the next half hour, Slayerdramon explained the situation to the digimon. His vision slowly started returning to him, so he was able to see the knight better.

"...and then Dorbickmon kicked me out..." Slayerdramon finished explaining. His slur faded away since he hadn't drank when he was explaining his situation to the knight.

"Interesting..." the dark knight responded, "...however it seems as though it all shares a common being..."

"Hm...?" Slayerdramon raised an eyebrow.

"It seems as though it all revolves around the human partner that Dorbickmon has...although he saved you from near death, he didn't try to help you in your argument, and in a way, took Dorbickmon's side when you were the one who was right..."

Slayerdramon became a little suspicious of the knight, but he started playing along with what the digimon was telling him.

"You're right..."

"Doesn't it seem like he's using you...?" the knight asked him. Slayerdramon nodded in agreement.

"And not only that, but it makes you look weak by having to depend on him when you can survive by yourself, and it in turn causes Dorbickmon to belittle you. Is that something you want?"

"No..."

"To put it bluntly; Dorbickmon thinks you're weak, the boy makes you look defenseless and they only need you when it's in their gain. Are you really going to let them walk all over you? Without punishment?"

"Of course not!" Slayerdramon barked.

"Agreed, it would be unfair of you...which is how I can assist..." the dark knight showed Slayerdramon a data chip emanating a dark flame.

_Why does that seem familiar...?_ Slayerdramon thought, as he looked at it.

"What is that...?"

"This will give you what you need..." the knight responded, showing him a black Xros Loader, "Insert it into this Xros Loader, and you'll see..."

Slayerdramon took both items, and glanced at them. He smirked.

"Hmm...Yeah this could easily give me the power I need..." he went to insert the object into the Xros Loader, but stopped at the last moment, smirking at the dark knight.

"But now I remember where I heard of this! Carlos mentioned a dark knight who tormented Dorbickmon using a similar tool. So tell me, what was your great plan after you ensnared me, DarkKnightmon!"

The digimon was not surprised by this, "...hmph, so you figured it out..."

"Yeah, I did."

DarkKnightmon still laughed, "Even if you figured my plan out, this is still in my favor. All of you have no clue what is happening to the boy!"

The digimon kicked the nearby table onto Slayerdramon, hitting him away as DarkKnightmon made a break for it.

"What?! Come back here!" Slayerdramon freed himself and gave chase after the knight. When he walked out, he saw DarkKnightmon up in the air.

"Dorbickmon activated the Dark DigiMemory using his own will. He was fully aware of what he was doing when he sacrificed parts of data from his army's digimon."

"You manipulated the situation! You used his anger and emotions to get him to do your own bidding, including using his partner for some sick experiment!"

DarkKnightmon laughed, "Think of it how you want."

Slayerdramon snarled, "Enough! I've had it with your manipulations!"

The drake grabbed his sword as DarkKnightmon started to fly away.

"You waste your time!" Slayerdramon barked, "Koryūzanba!"

DarkKnightmon quickly turned, and using his Twin Spear, blocked the attack of Slayerdramon's Fragarach.

"Shoryūzanpa!" Slayerdramon attacked. DarkKnightmon avoided the energy wave as he headed towards the forest.

"Wait...that's where-!" Slayerdramon gave chase after the knight. After getting a considerate amount of distance from the drake, DarkKnightmon hid in a cave near the exit of the forest. Slayerdramon arrived at the scene, and started looking around.

"Where'd he go...?" Slayerdramon snarled. He continued walking around until he spotted the cavern.

"There you are..." Slayerdramon prepared his blade, "Shoryū-!"

Before he could call out his attack, he was grabbed from behind.

"What?!" he struggled to break free, but his arms were caught in the grip. DarkKnightmon walked out of the cave, revealing himself.

"Phenomenal job as always, MaloMyotismon..." he chuckled.

"Let me go!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. DarkKnightmon walked up to him.

"You're going to help me, whether you agree to it or not..." the dark knight hit Slayerdramon in the face a few times.

"I won't..." Slayerdramon groaned in pain.

"The greatest enemy...is a former comrade." DarkKnightmon gave him a strong blow to his stomach. Slayerdramon coughed up blood. DarkKnightmon hit him a few more times in the face, as well as kneeing him in the groin. The dragon groaned in pain. If MaloMyotismon wasn't holding him up, then he'd fall to his knees.

"Don't be ridiculous..." Slayerdramon groaned, "Even if we did fight...Dorbickmon's still my friend...I won't betray him..."

"I've taken your will into account, that's why I have MaloMyotismon to assist me..." the knight chuckled. MaloMyotismon turned the near unconscious drake around to face him. The beast's eyes flashed.

"Mental Illusion!" MaloMyotismon blinded Slayerdramon with a bright light.

"W...what...?" Slayerdramon kept looking at him, but noticed his memories start to be warped, as he felt all the good moments of his time with the others disappear.

"No...I can't...stop..." Slayerdramon passed out as the light faded.

"Perfect..." DarkKnightmon smirked as MaloMyotismon placed the unconscious drake on his shoulder.

"Now to return so we can fill his head with memories that spur revenge..." the knight laughed as the two walked away, taking Slayerdramon with them.

Back in the cabin, Ouryumon had returned holding containers of DigiNoir.

"Sorry I'm late, there was a bit of a commotion in the town..." he explained, but when he looked around, he didn't find the drake.

"Slayerdramon...?" he placed the food on the floor next to him, "Where'd you go?"

After searching outside, Ouryumon sighed at the fact that Slayerdramon left.

"Damn it you drunk drake..." he took to the skies and left to see if he went back to Dorbickmon's Castle. The following morning Dracomon and I had fallen asleep in the foyer waiting for Ouryumon.

"Hey...wake up." the voice of Rob told us. It woke me up, glancing over at him.

"Oh...hey..."

"What were you two doing asleep here?" he asked.

"We were waiting for Ouryumon to return with Slayerdramon."

"What happened?" Rob asked since he and Dorumon were helping MachGaogamon all day yesterday.

"He got into an argument with Dorbickmon and was kicked out."

"I see…" he walked over and picked up the asleep Dracomon, who was snoring quietly.

"Yeah…"

"…you should talk to Dorbickmon." Rob advised, "You're the closest one he listens to."

"I would, but when Slayerdramon and Ouryumon first moved in, I told him that they wouldn't cause him any trouble."

"Even so, you should reason with him." Rob responded, and walked off, carrying Dracomon. Dorumon stayed with me. We walked outside to see Ouryumon walk up.

"Did you find him?"

"I did…" Ouryumon responded, "But he wandered off while I was getting some food."

"I see…"

"Do you know where he went?" Dorumon asked.

"Unfortunately no. He has a habit of wandering off and getting lost." Ouryumon explained, "And by your questions, it looks like he didn't come back here…" We nodded in disagreement.

"I'll have to go search the other kingdoms." Ouryumon responded, and took to the skies, "We'll see each other again when I find him."

On that note, Ouryumon left to search for Slayerdramon as we watched him go.

"Good luck Ouryumon…" Dorumon muttered. The two of us went out to find Dorbickmon so we could talk to him.

DarkKnightmon on the other hand, was further ahead in his plans. He used MaloMyotismon's Mental Illusion technique to warp Slayerdramon's memories, turning him into a drake who only wants revenge.

"Shoryūzanpa!" a familiar Slayerdramon cut through five blocks of Red Chrome Digizoid. DarkKnightmon smiled evilly at the spectacle. His plan was going smoothly, as he walked up to Slayerdramon.

"How does that new power feel...?" DarkKnightmon asked. Slayerdramon stopped his attacks and looked back at him. His eyes were filled with anger.

"Phenomenal..." the drake responded, giving a grim smile.

"Now what will you do with this power...?" the knight asked.

"I will get revenge...on Dorbickmon and that little brat..."

"They still believe you're on their side, leaving them vulnerable..."

"...for me to strike them down..." Slayerdramon sneered, "And I'll crush anyone who will get in my way..."

DarkKnightmon laughed, "Perfect..."

Slayerdramon placed his Fragarach on his back as it powered down and the parts of the blade clicked back together.

"Let's go give them a show...shall we?" DarkKnightmon asked.

"...let's." Slayerdramon sneered. The two walked off.

Back in Dragon Land, Dorumon and I found Dorbickmon near Dragon Falls, releasing out his anger by sitting on a rock under the waterfall and letting the water fall on his head and run down his shoulders.

"Talk about a way to release stress…" Dorumon heard me mutter. Both of us walked over to him.

"Dorbickmon."

He opened his eyes, and looked over to us, "What do you want, kid…?"

"Well, I'd like to apologize first for what Slayerdramon did. He's a bit…hotheaded…"

Dorbickmon stayed silent. In all honesty it felt more like the apology was on Dorbickmon's account, since in actuality he was the one who escalated it. However he never likes to be corrected, or being told he's wrong. If there's anything me and the others have learned about him, it's that we have to be careful about the words we choose when talking to him.

"As much as Slayerdramon deserved to get in trouble for walking into your room, kicking him out was a bit too far. Can you let him back inside if he never goes in there again?"

Dorbickmon merely responded with the usual _hmph_ and looked away.

"Whatever, just scram kid. You're distracting my concentration."

Dorumon was a bit surprised to hear Dorbickmon agree with the terms. The dragon was rather furious at Slayerdramon after what happened. Nevertheless, Dorumon followed after me as we went back to the castle, leaving Dorbickmon to focus his mind.

"I wasn't sure you'd be able to pull it off." Dorumon told me.

"Neither did I. You saw how livid he was after what happened. But if I choose my words wisely when talking to him, Dorbickmon can be a reasonable dragon."

"I see…" Dorumon looked up at the sky, "Think Ouryumon will find Slayerdramon?"

"I'm sure he will." he heard me respond. With that, we went inside the castle.

The rest of the afternoon was quiet, and it started raining right before night hit. Outside though, DarkKnightmon and Slayerdramon were near the peak of one of the mountains surrounding Dorbickmon's Castle.

"I hope you're prepared..." DarkKnightmon told the drake. Slayerdramon scoffed.

"Of course I am..." he told the knight.

"Well then, here's your chance. Dorbickmon left an hour ago, and it's just the kid and his friends..."

"With pleasure..." Slayerdramon sneered and walked toward the castle as a bolt of lightning hit behind him. Inside, I was pacing around, waiting for Dorbickmon. Everyone else had gone to sleep by now, so the castle was quiet.

"Man...Dorbickmon sure likes to leave for late night walks...he doesn't even let the rain stop him..."

To my surprise, when the door opened, it wasn't Dorbickmon, but Slayerdramon who walked inside.

"You're back!"

He simply glanced down, as he saw me approach him.

"I've got good news. Dorbickmon's calmed down and has forgiven you. You can come back if you want."

Slayerdramon was silent, not reacting at all to what he was just told.

"…are you ok?"

When asked the question, he gave an evil smirk. To my surprise, Slayerdramon kicked me halfway across the foyer.

"Gah!" I hit the wall. Before standing up, he grabbed me in his hand and started to slowly choke me as he crushed my body.

"Slayerdramon...! What are you-!"

"Quiet." he growled, tightening his grip to prevent me from yelling.

"Can't...breathe..."

In a desperate attempt to free , he saw me grab my Xros Loader and knocked it away from my hand.

"Why are you doing this...?! I thought...we were friends...!"

"You only sought to use me, you horrible child...and I'm going to repay it in full!"

"What...?! I never..."

"Yes you did...remember when you used me against Chaosdramon? Or when you let ShadowDorbickmon mutilate me before going to help? I'm just your little butt monkey aren't I...?" he snarled. I noticed that he had a look of darkness and anger in his eyes, and that helped me identify what happened to him.

"You're not...the Slayerdramon I know...!"

Slayerdramon sneered, "No...I'm better..." He tightened his grip to the point where my body felt like it could break at any moment.

"Reload..." in a desperate attempt, he heard me yell as loud as possible while he crushed me, "PAILDRAMON!"

Luckily, the digimon heard my call and appeared from out of the Xros Loader.

"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon hit Slayerdramon in the face with his attack, causing him to cringe in pain.

"Grah!" he released his grip, and Paildramon swiftly soared over and caught me in his hand.

"Thanks...Paildramon..."

"Are you alright, master...?" he asked. While it was strange for him to call me 'master', I didn't stop him from calling me that. It was in a Paildramon's nature to risk their lives protecting the one they referred to as 'master'.

"Yeah...a little sore but-." before finishing my sentence, Slayerdramon ran up and slammed into Paildramon's back

"Guh!" Paildramon was hit onto a wall, but he kept me safe on his left arm.

"Sting Strike!" he extended the lance on his right gauntlet, and countered each swing of Slayerdramon's sword. However Slayerdramon easily overwhelmed him since he was only using one arm to attack and gave him a strong blow to Paildramon's gut.

"Guh! Urgh..." Paildramon groaned, as he fell to one knee.

"Pathetic..." Slayerdramon glared, as he hit Paildramon with a punch to his abdomen. Paildramon groaned in pain again, but still kept me safe as he tried to withstand Slayerdramon's attacks. Slayerdramon however, beat in Paildramon's midsection and chest to the point Paildramon could barely feel anything. He was still able to stand on one knee despite repeated attacks that depleted his energy to near nothing. Slayerdramon finished it by giving him a strong upper cut, knocking Paildramon out as he fell back.

"Urghhh..." Paildramon groaned.

"Paildramon!" I called out to him, but he didn't react. Slayerdramon smirked.

"You waste your breath." he snarled, kicking me away. The force of it didn't break any bone in my body, but it caused me to start losing consciousness.

"Heheh..." Slayerdramon raised his blade in the air.

"Metal Cannon!"

A cannonball hit Slayerdramon in the back, but he merely shrugged it off.

"Hm?" he turned to see the attacker.

"Dorumon..." he heard me mutter.

"Dash Metal!" Dorumon charged at him, firing a cannonball from his mouth. Slayerdramon wasn't fazed at all, but it distracted him long enough for Wingdramon to slam into him from behind.

"Grah!" Slayerdramon hit the floor. Dorumon ran over to me, "Carlos!"

Wingdramon started fighting off Slayerdramon, "Slayerdramon, what are you doing?!"

"What I should have done long ago!" the drake snarled as he punched Wingdramon in the face. Dorumon checked my breathing, sighing in relief.

"Alive...please hold on..." he stood next to me as he watched Wingdramon fight Slayerdramon.

"Don't be an idiot! You've been friends with him for a long time!" Wingdramon yelled.

"No! He used me for his own gain!" Slayerdramon roared. He punched Wingdramon in the stomach before the drake could use Blaze Sonic Breath. Wingdramon groaned, kneeling over in pain.

"You're obviously not strong enough to fight me, so stay out of my way!" Slayerdramon growled and hit him in the lower jaw with an uppercut, causing Wingdramon to fall back in pain.

I started waking up to see the two. Wingdramon wrapped his tail around Slayerdramon's leg and pulled him down

"Let go!" Slayerdramon snarled. Rising to my feet, Wingdramon looked over to me.

"Run...Carlos...!" he muttered.

"Slayerdramon..."

The warrior managed to rise to his feet and finished Wingdramon off with a stomp to the drake's groin. Wingdramon groaned in pain as his grip loosened and he passed out. I looked around. Paildramon was knocked out, Wingdramon was down for the count and Dorumon was afraid that he'd be next. The realization that Slayerdramon has turned against his friends got my heart racing. It was then that the feeling of something boiling up inside resurfaced. My headache returned, as well as the feelings of anger, wrath, and vengeance.

"You really are out to kill us..."

Slayerdramon sneered, "What was your first clue, idiot?"

It caused me to growl, as I grabbed my Xros Loader. He noticed my body start emanating faint fumes of smoke that were composed of data.

"What?!" his eyes widened with shock and he recognized what it meant, "No!"

Slayerdramon ran over frantically and attacked with his sword. However it was blocked by Paildramon, who was again overcome by that anger. His eyes were glowing red with no iris.

"Traitor...!" he heard me growl. Dorumon looked over in fear. Both of them noticed Dorbickmon's voice inside my own.

"You'll pay for your betrayal!" in my glare, they saw Dorbickmon's purple irises. Slayerdramon was hit to the ground by Paildramon, who grabbed me and escaped.

"Come on, monkey!" Slayerdramon was taunted by me, and took the bait like a fool.

"I'm not your monkey anymore!" he snarled, and gave chase. We led him into Dragon Falls, where he snarled with rage. The rain outside had subsided.

"...to think...you would go to HIM of all people for help..." Slayerdramon heard me growl.

"You constantly abused me...a stranger in your life!" Slayerdramon barked.

"You were warned about him...and still had the nerve to join him!"

"W...warned...?" Slayerdramon's eyes widened, as he got lost in thought, "He offered me help but...I..."

"And what about your little serpent friend Ouryumon...? Did you betray him as well?!"

"I...I don't..." Slayerdramon shook his head and snarled, "Doesn't matter! You'll pay for the pain you've caused me!"

Slayerdramon showed that he had the Darkness Loader, as well as the Dark DigiMemory, which was now emanating a black flame. It was enough to justify his betrayal.

"You really did join that bastard..." there was no doubt about it anymore. Slayerdramon was a traitor.

"DarkKnightmon promised me redemption...I'm just here to fulfill it..."

"You're making a big mistake by inserting that. Your body will become corrupt by darkness. You've been warned about it before..."

"You mean how it corrupted your little punching bag Dorbickmon...?" he snarled tauntingly. The anger inside increased, as the smoke of data appeared more visible.

"What...did you just call him?!"

"Hard of hearing?" Slayerdramon sneered, " It's true isn't it...? I'd feel sorry for him if he wasn't so pathetic."

"You have no right to insult him, you bastard!" I yelled. Paildramon charged at him. Slayerdramon avoided his Desperado Blaster and charged at me. However Paildramon grabbed him from behind and slammed him on the floor. He started beating Slayerdramon's stomach in, showing signs of his strength increasing.

"Grah!" he yelled, "Where are you getting this power?!"

Slayerdramon managed to hit him off and rose to his feet. In the distance on top of a nearby tree, DarkKnightmon was watching the battle.

"Marvelous..." he sneered, "The boy was truly fit to hold the corrupted fragment of Dorbickmon's data...at this rate, it will only be a matter of time before I can collect what that fragment has inside..."

As the battle continued, Slayerdramon was hit away by Paildramon, who swiftly used Sting Strike on Slayerdramon's face, cutting through his armor.

"GAH! MY HELMET!" he roared as the broken pieces dug into his scales. I started snapping out of the angered state as the diamond Examon gave me started glowing.

"Can't...let it take over me...!"

At the same time, Paildramon was struggling to stay in control. While the struggling continued, Slayerdramon grabbed his Fragarach and charged at Paildramon.

"Tenryūzanha!"

Paildramon avoided it as the anger took over him again, and delivered an uppercut to Slayerdramon's chin, followed by a punch to the gut.

"Grah...!" Slayerdramon was pushed away as Paildramon prepared his lance and went in for the kill. Before the attack could make impact however, Examon interfered by slamming into Paildramon and pinning him on the ground.

"Kid! Snap out of it!" he ordered.

"E...Examon...?" the pure sight of him helped break me free from the data's control, as I collapsed on the floor unconscious. Paildramon passed out as well. Slayerdramon was astonished that Examon would interfere, much less save his life.

"Why is he helping him...?" the drake muttered, "And why did he save me...?"

He watched as Examon stored Paildramon in the Xros Loader and picked me up in his hand.

"What are you doing?!" Slayerdramon barked, after noticing Examon about to leave.

"I'm taking him..."

"I still have unfinished business with him!" Slayerdramon roared. Examon didn't turn around to face the drake.

"...look at yourself...you were willing to stand by the kid's side a few days ago...and now you're trying to kill him..."

"But that kid, he-!"

Examon cut him off, "A kid who DarkKnightmon injected with corrupted data as part of his experiment."

"He didn't tell me that..." Slayerdramon muttered, getting lost in thought again.

"Why would he..." Examon growled. Slayerdramon watched him leave, but Examon stopped.

"And know this..." he told him.

"What?" Slayerdramon asked. In a very serious tone, Examon snarled.

"If you come after him again...you will deal with me..." the knight warned him, and took to the skies. Slayerdramon merely turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

"Was the kid telling the truth...?" he muttered.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: The Reveal: The Dark DigiMemory Takes Over**

As Examon headed back towards his island, he glanced down and examined the damage done by the data. It left many burns on my body, filling him with worry.

"What's this data doing...?" he muttered. When he arrived at the island, he walked inside his cave and placed me on his bed. Placing his palm on my chest, he used his abundance of data to heal the injuries. It was that moment he realized what was happening; as he healed the injury, he noticed the data eating away at the injury, sucking away the leftover energy.

"W-what?!" his eyes widened with shock as he hurried and drove the corrupted data away with his own, but he also noticed it's starting to resist his data. He managed to at least obliterate it for now, and sighed in relief.

"DarkKnightmon...what have you done to him...?" he muttered, as he began analyzing what just occurred. Back in Dragon Land, Dorbickmon had arrived in his castle, being greeted by a paranoid Dorumon, and an unconscious Wingdramon being taken care of by Rob.

"Dorbickmon!" Dorumon exclaimed, "We need help!"

"Hmph...it's nothing the brat can't handle..." he scoffed and started walking away.

"But it's about Carlos! Slayerdramon attacked him!" Dorumon explained. Dorbickmon wasn't surprised and kept walking.

"Hmph, why should I care that the kid angered him? He probably deserved it..."

"But-!" Dorumon ran after him, "Slayerdramon wasn't himself! He was wielding a strange black Xros Loader!"

Dorbickmon stopped in his tracks, as he connected the details Dorumon had just told him.

"Black Xros Loader...?" he muttered, and clenched his fist in anger once he figured it out, "The Darkness Loader!" The drake stormed up to Dorumon, "What happened?!"

Dorumon stammered, "W-well...Slayerdramon had come back and started attacking Carlos. Paildramon and Wingdramon tried holding him off, but he was too much for the two. And then...Carlos was in some state of anger, and Slayerdramon ran after him and Paildramon. I followed, and saw Paildramon about to kill Slayerdramon until Examon-."

Dorbickmon grabbed Dorumon with his hand and glared, "Where'd they go?!"

"Dorbickmon!" Rob exclaimed.

"I-I don't know!" Dorumon yelped in fear, "H-honest! E-Examon took him and left!"

With that information, Dorbickmon released the nearly traumatized Dorumon and ran off.

"W-wait!" Dorumon ran after him, leaving the still unconscious Wingdramon with Rob.

At the same time, Slayerdramon had regrouped with DarkKnightmon near the mountains. He kneeled down and bowed in respect.

"I apologize DarkKnightmon...but I failed in finishing off the boy. He had deceived me with his words..." he informed.

"It's alright Slayerdramon..." DarkKnightmon responded, "Examon would have arrived to stop you anyway..."

"What is our plan then...?" the drake asked.

"Simple...we track down Examon and give you another chance to exact your revenge."

"But what about Examon sir? He swore that he'd personally stop me the next time I go after the boy..." Slayerdramon explained. DarkKnightmon laughed.

"Do not worry, I'll take care of him..." he told the drake.

"Very well my lord..." Slayerdramon responded

"Now the only question left pertains to the location of Examon's home..."

"Not to worry my liege." Slayerdramon told him, "I know where he lives..."

The knight smirked, "Excellent...lead the way..."

"Yes sir..." Slayerdramon rose to his feet and began his trek towards Examon's Island, with DarkKnightmon following. Back at the island, Examon had examined the corrupted data even further and has come to a conclusion.

"I don't believe this..." he muttered.

"Carlos!" another voice called out from behind the knight. Examon turned around to see Dorumon and Dorbickmon arriving. Dorumon ran over.

"He's fine Dorumon...I'd never let him die..." Examon told him. Dorumon sighed in relief.

"What's happening to him Examon...?" he asked. Examon looked down, then glanced over at Dorbickmon, who had his usual stern expression.

"To put this bluntly...it appears that your partner...is the host of a parasite..."

Dorumon's eyes widened with shock, "What?! How?!"

"The corrupted data DarkKnightmon inserted into him...it's acting like a self eating virus. It's using the small bit of data that allows humans to travel to this world and uses its properties to go through and eat away any of the injuries that the corrupted data causes when he's in that state of anger. The angrier he gets, the more hate and anger take over him...and the faster the data eats away at him...since that data was originally part of you Dorbickmon...it has manifested itself inside the boy...and that's why you can hear your own voice and see your own eyes inside the kid when he gets taken over...and it looks as though it uses the energy it saps to fuel something..." Examon explained.

"...is he gonna be alright...?" Dorumon asked.

"...it's roughly eaten away less than a quarter of his humanity...and it looks as though it's starting to gain a resistance to my data..." Examon added.

"...what does DarkKnightmon want with him..." Dorumon muttered

"...I'm not sure of that yet, but I fear the worst..." Examon glanced down, clenching his fist

Outside near the perimeter of the island however, DarkKnightmon and Slayerdramon had arrived at the floating archipelago.

"So...this if where the legendary Examon lives..." the knight smirked.

"DarkKnightmon sir..." Slayerdramon looked at him, "If I may ask...why must we get rid of the kid as well...?"

"The boy can make Dorbickmon stronger. We must get rid of him before he becomes a nuisance..." the knight explained. Slayerdramon stayed silent.

"I'll make sure Examon and Dorbickmon do not interfere, you take care of the kid."

"Alright..." Slayerdramon muttered and started heading towards the cave, taking a route around the outside of the island so he wouldn't get caught. DarkKnightmon laughed.

"Little do you know...the Dark DigiMemory has already begun to corrupt you..."

Back inside the cave, Dorumon looked over when I started waking up.

"Carlos...?" he muttered and walked closer.

"Dorumon...?" my eyes winced and caught a small look at him.

"Hey..." he muttered as he watched me stand up.

"Thanks...for saving me..."

"I was merely a distraction..." he explained, "Wingdramon should be the one you're thanking."

"Right..."

In that moment, an explosion occurs, shaking the cave.

"What the-?!" Dorumon fell down due to the tremor it produced. We saw Examon run out to see what was going on. When he saw the attacker in the far off distance, he snarled.

"DarkKnightmon...!"

Upon hearing the name, Dorbickmon became angry and the two headed out to meet him in the front of the island, leaving Dorumon with me.

"Be careful..." he muttered. Hiding behind a rock, Slayerdramon watched Dorbickmon and Examon leave the cave unguarded.

"Perfect..." he muttered, as he started walking over. DarkKnightmon wrecked havoc on the island, and when he noticed Examon and Dorbickmon coming his way, he smirked.

"All according to plan..."

Examon landed on the ground next to Dorbickmon, and snarled, "You dare invade my home of all places!" he pointed his lance at the evil knight.

"Examon..." DarkKnightmon muttered, "Legendary Royal Knight and wielder of the lance-blaster hybrid Ambrosius and the Caledfwlch wings...it's an honor to meet you in person..."

"Silence!" Examon roared, "The less we hear you talk, the better..."

"The knight laughed, "Quick to the point I see...now let's see you put those words to use..."

"Pendragon's Glory!" Examon took to the skies. His lance charged up as he shot a blue colored laser beam at DarkKnightmon, who jumped out of the way.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon fired a burst of fire from the cannons on his chest. DarkKnightmon blocked it with his Twin Spear as he fled to one of the small islands surrounding Examon's.

"The fools..." he muttered.

Back in the cave, Dorumon and I stayed inside, but we heard something near the cave entrance and were shocked to see who it was.

"Hey kid..." Slayerdramon called out.

"Slayerdramon..." he heard me mutter. Dorumon stood in front of me as Slayerdramon approached.

"Metal Cannon!" he shot out a cannonball from his mouth at the drake, who was unfazed. He tried again with Dash Metal, but Slayerdramon gave him a strong blow to the cheek and the force slammed Dorumon into the wall. I backed away, but he scoffed.

"Don't bother...there's no where to run..."

"...why did you side with him..."

"You used me only to save face, and not only that, but I nearly died multiple times because of you and Dorbickmon. But no more, I've had enough! And I'm here to prevent others from suffering that same fate..." he snarled. Glaring me down with his eyes, it was a saddening sight to see. His mind seemed set to destroy us, and it looked like there was no doubt in his head. But there was still one possible way to know if he really wanted to kill me. Walking slowly towards him, the only thing left to do was act the most humane as possible.

"Hmph...you want to kill me Slayerdramon, go ahead...I won't fight back this time...if you truly feel that way about me...then go ahead, knock some sense into me...but know this...I still think of you as a friend...so go ahead...let me have it! Take you vengeance out on me...but leave Dorumon and the others alone..." a tear developed in my eye. Upon seeing this, Slayerdramon started hesitating.

"S-stop it..." he backed away, getting lost in thought, "We're suppose to be enemies...aren't we...?" he held his head in pain. In that moment, he felt the Dark DigiMemory start taking its toll on him.

"Gah!" he yelled in pain, as the symbol for DarkKnightmon's old army appeared on his forehead. That alone helped us see that he didn't betray us, but was being manipulated.

"Why...? Why did you...?" he breathed deeply, as he held his head. His resistance proved futile, as a sneer developed on his face. "Does it matter?!"

He charged at me, and Paildramon reloaded from the Xros Loader and took the hit, grabbing me and Dorumon. Paildramon manage to avoid Slayerdramon's next attack and tripped him with a kick. It left Paildramon a chance to run to the exit.

"Shoryūzanpa!" Slayerdramon slashed his blade and hit Paildramon in the back with a strong energy wave. Paildramon hit the ground and slid to a halt, but he still kept us safe in his arms. He turned over to be on his back, but before he could stand up, Slayerdramon stomped on Paildramon's midsection, causing him to yell in pain. From there, Slayerdramon resumed his beating of Paildramon by hitting him on the chest and abdomen until Paildramon could no longer move. Despite his situation, Paildramon protected us with his arm and placed us on the side of him so we could escape while Slayerdramon was busy. We managed to make it a few feet away from them, and in one last attempt, Paildramon fired Desperado Blaster at Slayerdramon's face, and quickly hit him away. Paildramon then very slowly rose to his feet, but could barely find the energy to stand. Slayerdramon let out breaths of exhaustion, but the manner in which he did it was almost that of a deranged beast, as he snarled viciously.

"Slayerdramon..."

"Grr..." he snapped back to himself for an instant, "Wha...?"

Slayerdramon held his head in pain, "What am I...?" He backed away in pain as he struggled to regain control.

"Slayerdramon..."

"Stop it!" he yelled as the pain intensified every time his name was mentioned, "Stop it!"

Dorumon and I noticed the symbol on Slayerdramon's forehead flash as he screamed in pain. It started to take over Slayerdramon's own will by the looks of it.

However, on the other side of the floating archipelago, the screen of the Darkness Loader flashed, and by the smirk on DarkKnightmon's face, he was expecting it to. As he evaded Dorbickmon and Examon's attacks, he laughed.

"What's so funny?!" Examon snarled. DarkKnightmon simply pointed over to the faint dark light emanating from Examon's island.

"What the...?!" Dorbickmon's eyes widened with shock.

"The improved Dark DigiMemory has finally started to break Slayerdramon..." DarkKnightmon laughed evilly.

"You...!" Examon snarled, realizing Slayerdramon was manipulated.

"Thanks to the remnants of the Shadow Virus, Slayerdramon will lose his control and will become a feral dragon whose natural instincts will take over. Once it has taken over him, he will crave nothing but blood." he explained, and smirked, "It's your decision...try and kill me, or go save the boy and the Dorumon..."

"...Dorbickmon, go and help the kid." Examon ordered, "I'll deal with DarkKnightmon..."

Dorbickmon glared at the knight. He didn't not like taking orders from anyone, especially someone like Examon. However, his abilities were hindered since they were in a location where aerial Digimon have the advantage, and as such his mobility was limited. As a result, he reluctantly left the job to Examon and started his trek back to the center island. DarkKnightmon simply prepared his Twin Spear.

"Let's see the power of the Dragon Emperor..."

"I'll make sure you're sent back to the hell you crawled out of!" Examon roared, "Pendragon's Glory!"

Pointing his Ambrosius at DarkKnightmon, he fired a laser beam at almost point-blank range. DarkKnightmon avoided the attack, which in turn, hit a smaller island, destroying the isle completely. Since Examon didn't fly up before attacking, he was caught in the smoke.

"Treason Vortex!" DarkKnightmon rotated his Twin Spear at a speed fast enough to generate a vortex of darkness. Examon stabbed his Ambrosius into the vortex.

"Avalon's Gate!" he exploded the ammunition shells in his lance, and both of them were caught in the explosion. Examon escaped from the smoke and looked around for the knight.

"Where is he...?!" he growled.

"Twin Spear!"

Examon turned around to see DarkKnightmon about to his him with his Twin Spear, but the attack was blocked by Examon's wings.

"Interesting..." DarkKnightmon muttered.

"My Caledfwlch wings can be freely manipulated for flight or defense!" Examon snarled, "Tactics like that will be useless!"

His wings hit DarkKnightmon away. The Digimon manged to flip himself over and avoid being caught off guard. The two glared each other down.

All the while, Slayerdramon was being taken over by the Dark DigiMemory despite his best efforts.

"Slayerdramon..." I started to walk closer to him, but he motioned me to stop with his hand. He gave us a look of pure sadness.

"Run..." he muttered.

Dorumon stammered, "But-!"

"Go!" he yelled, "NOW!"

Even if we made a break for it, he'd catch up to us in mere minutes. Our best chance was to have Paildramon fly us to safety, but he was too exhausted from all the hits he withstood to take to the skies, much less run.

"Gah!" Slayerdramon roared, as the darkness in him seized full control. His expression changed into that of a mindless beast craving blood. He looked even more savage than ShadowDorbickmon when we battled him. The three of us were shocked by Slayerdramon. He charged at us, roaring. Paildramon used a bit of his remaining energy to jump in front of us and take the hit, which struck his gut. He fell back onto the floor.

"Paildramon!" Dorumon exclaimed, but there was no reaction. He was down for the count. Slayerdramon then glared at us with a sneer on his face. Before he attacked us though, Slayerdramon was hit with a burst of fire and was quickly trapped into the ground. Dorumon and I looked over.

"Dorbickmon!" we exclaimed. The dragon jumped in front of us. Paildramon winced as he started to wake up.

"Dor...bick...mon..." he muttered.

"...get the runt and his Dorumon somewhere else. The less distractions I have, the better..." Dorbickmon ordered. Paildramon slowly rose to his feet, groaning. He grabbed me and Dorumon and slowly ran off into the forest. Slayerdramon roared as he thrashed against his prison. Paildramon managed to get us a considerable amount of distance from Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon and placed us on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Thanks, Paildramon..." I told him. He nodded slowly as he regained his breathing. With all of his energy gone, he caved into his exhaustion and fell forward. However, he was stored into my Xros Loader before he hit the ground.

"Take a good rest..." Dorumon muttered. We stayed hidden near a tree and looked back towards where Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon are.

"Good luck Dorbickmon..." Dorumon muttered.

Back in the field, Dorbickmon released Slayerdramon from the ground, and the latter charged at him in a berserk rage. Dorbickmon ran off and led Slayerdramon to the top of the mountain situated on Examon's Island, next to the lake. He turned around and snarled at Slayerdramon, "Come on...!"

No longer being able to control his normal actions, Slayerdramon lunged at Dorbickmon like a wild animal and nearly hit him onto the ground. Dorbickmon grabbed him by the horns on his head and gave Slayerdramon a knee to the gut. The drake grunted in pain, but continued his rage as he slowly started to overcome Dorbickmon's grip. Dorbickmon looked over to the edge of the cliff to see the lake below, and hatched an idea.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon fired his attack point-blank to hit Slayerdramon, but the shock wave pushed him back as a result. Slayerdramon charged and tackled Dorbickmon down, hitting him off the mountain's cliff as the two started sliding down the slope. Slayerdramon assaulted Dorbickmon's abdomen while the latter punched Slayerdramon's back. Eventually the two reached the edge of the slope and Dorbickmon used the opportunity to push Slayerdramon off of him with his legs using the momentum and grabbed the ledge at the last second. However, Slayerdramon stabbed his claws into Dorbickmon's foot and pulled him down with him. The two fell off the mountain and landed in the lake. Slayerdramon tried desperately to stay above the water, but his armor kept dragging him down. Dorbickmon on the other hand, managed to rise back to the surface and dragged his body back to the shore, but Slayerdramon sank into the water when he was halfway there. After coughing up water, Dorbickmon glanced over at the lake. Despite not wanting to, he reluctantly dove back into the water and dragged Slayerdramon to shore. The drake was unconscious, and the symbol on his forehead had disappeared, signaling that he was back to his senses. With a swift blow, Dorbickmon punched Slayerdramon's gut and it jolted him awake. As Slayerdramon coughed up water, Dorbickmon started walking away.

"Why...?" Slayerdramon asked in between coughs, "Why did you save me...?"

Dorbickmon didn't respond and kept walking.

"Answer me!" Slayerdramon barked, "Why did you save me?! I nearly killed you and your partner!"

Dorbickmon stopped and gave him a slight glance, "Because...DarkKnightmon's an evil bastard..."

He walked away, leaving Slayerdramon to be lost in thought. Meanwhile, DarkKnightmon avoided Examon's Pendragon's Glory attack and noticed the Darkness Loader flash as the Dark DigiMemory came out of the device.

"So he failed..." the knight muttered. He crushed the Dark DigiMemory, showing that he no longer needed it.

"Dragonic Impact!" Examon roared. Diving down form the sky, Examon used the heat caused by the friction in the air to crash into the ground engulfed in a flame. DarkKnightmon barely avoided the attack, and smirked at the dragon, who was showing signs of exhaustion.

"Hmph...so fulfilling it would be to get rid of you now..." the knight smirked, "But I've already got what I came here for..."

"What you came here for?!" Examon barked.

"Simple. I needed dark energy from Slayerdramon..." the knight explained, "Why else would I have gone after him?"

"And what do you need it for...?!" Examon snarled. DarkKnightmon laughed.

"I figured you of all Digimon would have known, being one of the Royal Knights!"

Examon's eyes widened with shock, "You mean...?!"

"I'll leave you to figure it out..." DarkKnightmon smirked as he escaped using his Super Dimensional Ax technique. Examon kneeled down in exhaustion.

"Urgh...he's getting stronger..." the dragon muttered, as he thought about what DarkKnightmon told him. "If he's implying what I think he is, then this world will be in catastrophic danger..."

He rose to his feet and headed back to the island.

In that time I was busy wandering around the island's forest alone, leaving Dorumon back in our hiding spot to rest.

"Slayerdramon...where are you...?"

After walking a few yards, the sound of a fire burning filled my eardrums. Glancing over, there was smoke from what could possibly be a campfire not too far from my location. Following the smoke trail, it led me to the campfire that was made by none other than Slayerdramon.

"Slayerdramon..."

"What do you want kid...?" he asked. It looked like he still hasn't remembered anything.

"Nothing...I was just following the smoke."

"...why did you ask for death?" he asked after a few minutes. There was a moment of silence between us. "You were willing to die to my rage and vengeful behavior, why would you do that?" he asked again.

"Because...you're my friend."

"...even so, you shouldn't have allowed your enemy the opportunity." he muttered.

"...who told you that you were my enemy..."

"...DarkKnightmon." Slayerdramon responded.

"...you truly remember nothing, do you...?" I asked.

"Remember what?" he looked at me in confusion. For the next hour, Slayerdramon was told of everything that was known about him, as well as what we've been through. He held his head in pain.

"But...how do I not remember this? All that you've told me, it's not there!"

"You must have had your memories warped..." he was told. Slayerdramon stayed silent.

"...but I know of a way to restore your memory..." he backed away when he saw me approach him.

"Stop that...stop trying to be kind to me..."

"You were being used..."

"But...if what you told me is right...then I've done horrible things to you, Dorbickmon and the others!"

"It doesn't matter. You're our friend and you need help." I told him. Slayerdramon stayed silent. Judging by the look on his face, he couldn't believe that after what he's done, we're still with him.

"...alright." he muttered. We walked over to the eastern part of the archipelago. He picked me up and put me on his shoulder.

"It's the island on your left."

He nodded and made his way over there, using many of the smaller floating pieces of rock as platforms that he jumped across. When we arrived at the island, which had simply a waterfall on a cliff and a few bushes, he glanced at me.

"So it's inside the waterfall?" he asked. I nodded. He glanced over and waited for the right moment to run over and jump over the small pond and land inside a small cave behind the cascade of water. Inside was a large crystal emitting a faint light.

"That must be it..." he muttered. Placing me on the floor, he walked over to the gem. Slayerdramon hesitated, but placed his hands on the crystal. The light shines brightly as he felt a warm energy surge though him.

"My memory...it's..." he closed his eyes, and after a few minutes, the light faded back to normal. Slayerdramon turned around, and smiled.

"I remember everything clearly!"

I smiled back, "It's good to have you back..."

"Thanks for standing by me kid..." he told me. We exited the cave and made our way back to Examon's Island. When we arrived, Examon looked over and grabbed his lance when he saw Slayerdramon.

"Examon...he's back on our side..." he heard me explain. Taking my word for it, he lowered his weapon.

"I see..."

Slayerdramon walked over and kneeled down, tilting his head towards the ground.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused..." he muttered. Examon looked at him, and placed his hand on Slayerdramon's shoulder after a few minutes.

"...your apology is accepted." he muttered.

"Thank you..." Slayerdramon rose to his feet. Examon turned to look at me.

"I've figured out what DarkKnightmon is after." he explained. Everyone, even Dorbickmon looked at him, surprised.

"You have...?" Dorumon asked.

"Yes..." Examon muttered, placing his lance to the side.

"What is it that he's after...?" I asked.

"First I must tell you a bit more of what happened back when the Royal Knights were around." he explained. We all nodded and listened in as he cleared his throat.

"As you know, the colossal digimon that nearly destroyed this world thousands of years ago was merely sealed away by the Royal Knights..."

"Yes..." we nodded in agreement, except for Dorbickmon, who simply crossed his arms.

"When they sealed it away, they had sealed the gate with a special lock, and they created seven keys that would open the gate. Although it would open the gate, the digimon wouldn't be awakened unless it was given a surplus of dark energy to feed..."

"I see..."

"Knowing the danger of hiding them out in the open, the Royal Knights decided to hide the keys inside of different digimons' data."

"They had the power to do that...?" Dorumon asked. Examon nodded.

"For the course of time after that, the keys have been shuffled around to different digimon after the previous keepers of those items had died..."

"But what does that have to do with us...?"

"Because I believe...that the Death Generals are the next carriers of those keys..." he explained The news surprised us all, even Dorbickmon.

"The keys must have been growing inside of you and the other six Death Generals while you were under the command of the Bagra Empire. The items are made of data, so they grow slowly over the course of your lives. Even though you all died, they only move onto another digimon if it's fully developed in the host's body when the host dies. But it was still developing inside of the seven of you during that time in the war. DarkKnightmon must have found out about the items when the data of all you seven Death Generals returned to their hideout after each being defeated by Xros Heart in your respective kingdoms."

"But I don't understand...why did DarkKnightmon insert a corrupted fragment of Dorbickmon's data into me?" I asked him.

"Because part of the key Dorbickmon has is inside of you." he explained. My eyes widened with shock.

"What?!"

"That data is still part of Dorbickmon, and since the key was developing inside him while he was a Death General, part of that key was taken out when DarkKnightmon used him for the experiment he conducted when he was testing out the Darkness Loader on digimon data. The keys need life energy to grow, much like the muscles and organs of a human body. And as a result, it eats away at your injuries when you are in your angered state to fuel the development of that piece. In short, that data is growing inside of you now instead of in Dorbickmon. And since that data was once part of Dorbickmon, the result is that you gain some of Dorbickmon's traits when you are possessed by the anger."

"What does DarkKnightmon plan to do with this digimon?" Dorumon asked, worried.

"He probably plans to return the Digital World into that time of chaos and destruction when he releases the Digimon from his cage. Or he might bring it into a newer hell altogether."

"And what exactly is the name of this digimon he's trying to revive?" Slayerdramon asked.

"His name...is ExoGrimmon." Examon informed us. We all stayed in silence.

"Right now, it is unknown of when DarkKnightmon will make his move. But when he does, he will start coming after each Death General when they least expect it. All of you Death Generals have had enough time alive for that key to develop fully, and it can be ripped from your data if you allow DarkKnightmon to use the Darkness Loader on the seven of you. If the key is ripped out of any one of you Death Generals, then the effects will cause you all to be in an unconscious state until your data can adjust to the sudden decrease of energy. Omegamon told me that there was a way for you to have the key come out from your body willingly, but he never explained it before he passed away."

"That must explain that dark light that hit me when I saved Dorbickmon back in Death Crater..." I muttered, and clenched my fist. "Damn it!"

"Carlos, I advise that you and Dorbickmon focus on the tournament finals in a few days for now. I'll try to find a way to get that corrupted fragment out of you." Examon advised. All of us except Dorbickmon nodded in agreement.

"Thank you Examon...I don't know what we'd do without you..." he heard me tell him. On that note, the four of us left Examon's home and headed back to Dragon Land. Arriving back in Dorbickmon's Castle just before nightfall, it was a surprise to see Ouryumon back in the castle.

"...I see you're back." Ouryumon told Slayerdramon, who simply looked down.

"...I'm sorry to have worried you..." he muttered. Ouryumon crossed his arms.

"Well...Wingdramon told me what happened a few minutes ago when I arrived...but it looks like you're back to your old self." the serpent explained. Slayerdramon nodded in agreement. Ouryumon looked back at me.

"At least you're both safe..." he gave us a slight smile. We all went to rest for the night, refocusing our attention toward the tournament.


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: DigiXros Battle! The First Round Of The Semifinals**

The remaining three days passed by quickly, and the day of the finals was upon us. Walking out of the castle with Slayerdramon, Rob, Dracomon and Dorumon were already waiting for us.

"Ready to go?" Rob asked. We nodded in agreement. Slayerdramon went into my Xros Loader, and Dracomon digivolved into Wingdramon. Dorumon climbed onto the dragon's back as Wingdramon placed Rob and I on his shoulders. He took to the skies and headed towards the tournament grounds.

"Ouryumon and Dorbickmon left a few hours ago." the drake informed us, "They will be waiting for us near the coliseum."

"Then we better not keep them waiting." Rob responded.

"Yeah...um...Wingdramon?"

"Hm...?" the drake glanced over at me, "What's up?"

"I just wanted to thank you for saving me a few days ago. You took quite a beating..."

Wingdramon gave a slight smile, showing his fangs, "That's what friends do for each other, right?"

His comment put a slight smile on my face as we bumped fists, "Something like that..."

He arrived in the tournament grounds in half an hour. Wingdramon placed us on the ground and degenerated back into Dracomon. Slayerdramon reloaded out of my Xros Loader and we walked towards the five coliseums. RizeGreymon and MachGaogamon were already there at the entrance waiting for us.

"Hey!" RizeGreymon waved at us.

"You guys are here early." Slayerdramon walked up to them.

"Everyone is anxious fore the finals to begin." RizeGreymon answered. Everyone walked into the Gold Coliseum, where the finals would be taking place. However I stayed behind and started looking for Dorbickmon. Luckily, he was waiting near the hill he was situated in last time we were here, making it less of a hassle to search for him. Surprisingly, Fanglongmon was there as well.

"There you are..."

Dorbickmon merely crossed his arms. Fanglongmon glanced at me.

"The matches will be determined in a few minutes. Let's make it to the finals and show Kiriha that you deserve a second chance."

Dorbickmon didn't answer, and he simply went into my Xros Loader. There was a moment of silence between me and Fanglongmon.

"...you asked for my assistance." Fanglongmon muttered as he rose to his feet. By the sound of it, Shoutmon must have relayed the message to him.

"Yeah, I wanted to know if you were willing to assist Dorbickmon in the semifinal match in the case we wouldn't be going up against Kiriha." I turned back to face him. "So, are you up for it?"

Fanglongmon turned his head, and thought about the offer. He glanced back at the center coliseum of the tournament grounds.

"...although I no longer have any reason to serve him, he is still a comrade." he responded and glanced back at me, "I accept your request for assistance."

His answer made me smile. It looked like he considered Dorbickmon as a friend as well.

"Thank you Fanglongmon."

He gave me a slight smile before he was stored into my Xros Loader.

With our new ally, I ran over and entered the center coliseum. Cheers and roars from the crowd echoed in the halls. Standing before a Knightmon guarding the gate leading to the arena, he scanned the gold DigiMemory Apollomon gave me, and once the light on the screen he was looking at turned green, he let me enter. Inside, Tagiru and Ryouma were already inside waiting, with Kiriha on the other side of the arena.

"You made it!" Tagiru exclaimed.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world..." I responded. As we waited, Dorumon and the others found Ouryumon and went to their seats, waiting for the finals to begin. Dorumon glanced around the crowd, "Where's Fanglongmon...?"

"Heh...didn't you hear?" a familiar Chaosdramon walked up. Dorumon hid behind MachGaogamon's leg since he was still afraid of the cyborg. Slayerdramon looked over.

"Tell us what?" he asked the cyborg, who smiled and turned towards the arena. They sat down in their seats, with Ouryumon sitting next to Slayerdramon and Dorumon sitting on the other side of Ouryumon with Dracomon. MachGaogamon, RizeGreymon and Chaosdramon walked off to go sit in their respective seats. Everyone saw Taiki and Shoutmon walk up towards the altar. When they reached the top, both of them cleared their throats and all the spectators became silent.

"Citizens of the Digital World." Shoutmon began, "After a week of rest for our competitors, the finals can now be underway!"

A roar of cheers emanated from the stands. I looked around, and on the west side of the arena, EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon were there watching.

"The semifinal matches will take place here." Taiki added, "But the final match will take place in another part of the Digital World so the competitors can battle it out to their hearts content with without having to worry about any spectators getting injured. Our Hi-VisionMonitormon will follow them and provide the video feed of the final match for us. The rules are still the same as the preliminaries, whoever knocks their opponent out for three minutes wins. DigiXrossing and Digivolution are allowed. With that aside, let the final rounds of the tournament begin!"

The audience exploded with cheers as a huge hologram appeared above the arena and started randomizing the four of us. Everyone watched intently as the hologram stopped, revealing that Ryouma would battle me in the first round, and Tagiru and Kiriha would fight in the second.  
"Interesting..." Dorumon muttered.

"Let's not waste anymore time and begin the first match of the semifinals!" Shoutmon announced. Tagiru and Kiriha walked out of the arena while Ryouma and I walked towards opposite sides of the place. The arbiter for the finals was Apollomon.

"It's good to see that you are both doing well." he told us, "Are you both ready?"

We nodded slowly, and Ryouma smiled.

"May the best competitor win." he took out his Xros Loader, "Reload, Astamon!"

The digimon appeared out of the boy's Green Xros Loader. Astamon was a demon man with a long gray coat that had parts of red fabric near the bottom of the coat, as well as near the wrists and shoulders. The fabric was adorned with gold diamonds. He wore a purple shirt and matching pants, both of which had white stripes running down vertically, and bandages worn on his left leg. He wore a red shirt underneath as well. Astamon wore white gloves, as well as black shoes which had three spikes adorned to them. His face was that of a dark blue wolf with blood red eyes and a red scar in the shape of an X near his left eye, but he had the mouth of a human. Two horns protruded from his head, and he had long white hair, as well as long sideburns, which reached down to his mouth. Along with a long red scarf, he had purple bat wings on his back. To top it off, he wielded an old machine gun with brown handles and a skull designed on to its side, and in his shirt pocket, he had a knife.

I grabbed my Xros Loader, "Reload, Dorbickmon!"

The drake appeared on the field in front of me. Both of them stared each other down.

"Very well, you may begin!" Apollomon announced.

Both Dorbickmon and Astamon charged at each other. They both exchanged fists, but blocked each others' attack.

"So Dorumon, what do you think?" Gumdramon asked as he watched the battle. He and Tagiru sat down next to Dracomon.

"It'll be an even fight." Dorumon responded, "Astamon and Dorbickmon are already strong. Plus they can DigiXros. It's anyone's game."

Astamon went in for a punch to the face, but Dorbickmon avoided it, and attempted an uppercut. Astamon moved to the side and retaliated with a kick, but Dorbickmon jumped away. The drake's eyes flashed as a group of stones rose from the ground. Clenching his fists, the boulders lunged at Astamon, who jumped upward to avoid it.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon took the advantage and shot two bursts of fire at Astamon. The digimon wasn't surprised, and shot two rounds from his machine gun, nullifying the attack in a huge explosion. Astamon landed on the ground safely.

"You two are impressive." Ryouma told us.

"You haven't seen anything yet." I replied.

"I was just about to say the same thing." Ryouma smiled. Dorbickmon and Astamon increased their speed and engaged in close combat, blocking and avoiding each others' blows. Both of them managed to land a blow to each others' cheek, but Astamon managed to stand his ground from the recoil, and gave Dorbickmon a strong knee to the gut. Dorbickmon groaned in pain and Astamon followed up his attack with a strong punch to the face, knocking Dorbickmon five feet away as he hit the ground. Dorbickmon rose to his feet.

"Hmph..." he wiped the blood off of his lip. Dorbickmon charged at Astamon with a punch, but Astamon hit him with an uppercut. Dorbickmon stepped back in recoil, but continued his attack by punching Astamon in the gut. The digimon grunted in pain, and Dorbickmon delivered another blow to the digimon's face, knocking him away. However in mid-air, Astamon fired a round from his gun, and Dorbickmon retaliated with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire. The collision of both attacks pushed Dorbickmon away with the shock wave as Astamon landed in front of Ryouma.

"Not bad." the boy grabbed his Xros Loader, "But how about we give these spectators a show?"

"Alright." I responded, grabbing my Xros Loader as well.

"Reload, Triceramon!" Ryouma called out. The digimon appeared from the Xros Loader. It was a black triceratops which was bigger than Astamon in size and weight, and had a white chest and underbelly. The horns on his head had red rings on them, and he had armor on his forearms, back and legs that was composed of scales in his body that thickened to the point that it was harder than iron. He had blue eyes, and managed to stand on two legs, with three sharp white claws on each hand and foot. Triceramon let out a roar.

"Reload, Fanglongmon!" they heard me call out. Slayerdramon and the others were surprised to hear that.

"So that's where Fanglongmon went!" Dorumon exclaimed. Fanglongmon appeared on the field, as both my Xros Loader and Ryouma's started emitting a light from the screen.

"Astamon, Triceramon, DigiXros!"

"Dorbickmon, Fanglongmon, DigiXros!"

All four Digimon were engulfed in two pillars of light as Dorbickmon fused with Fanglongmon and Astamon fused with Triceramon.

"DigiXros!"

Dorbickmon and Fanglongmon fused into their centaur form. Astamon on the other hand, grew slightly bigger and gained Triceramon's head on his left hand. His shoes also changed into boots which had Triceramon's armored skin adorned onto it, as well as on Astamon's coat.

"Dorbickmon, Huang Mode!"

"Astamon, Tri Xros!"

The lights faded, revealing the two digimon.

"Interesting..." Gumdramon muttered, "A battle of DigiXrosses...it really is anyone's game..."

Ryouma planned out his tactics in his head, _Dorbickmon has a slight advantage since he's been __a general on his own. Not only that, but Fanglongmon can freely move around even though Dorbickmon's now attached to his body, so the two can work together and cover each others' blind spots. Due to Triceramon's weight, Astamon lost a bit of speed when DigiXrossing with him. They will only be digixrossed together long enough for me to figure out how to wear Dorbickmon out...then I'll make my move..._

Dorbickmon and Fanglongmon charged at Astamon, with Fanglongmon firing energy blasts from his mouth. Astamon avoided the attacks and jumped up. He delivered a swift punch, but Dorbickmon blocked it with his left arm. Astamon followed it up with another punch, but Dorbickmon grabbed the digimon's other arm. Astamon used this to his advantage and kneed Dorbickmon in the gut. Dorbickmon coughed up some blood, but fired two bursts of fire in retaliation. Astamon was blasted away by the attack and Fanglongmon shot an energy blast from his mouth to keep up the attack. In the time it took Astamon to avoid the attack. Fanglongmon charged and the two slammed into the digimon, hitting him towards the ground. Dorbickmon then trapped Astamon in the ground with Burning the Dragon.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" he fired two bursts of fire which homed in on Astamon, who struggled to break free. He managed to escape last second and took to the skies.

"Tri Fire!" the Triceramon head opened it's mouth as it fired a red energy ball at Dorbickmon three times. Dorbickmon managed to jump away and avoided the first two, and took the third blast head on, receiving a bit of damage.

"Astamon, return! We are changing tactics!" Ryouma shouted. Astamon nodded and returned to the boy's side.

"That's odd..." Gumdramon muttered, "Astamon's strong in that form...I should know. Why would Ryouma be switching tactics so soon...?"

The boy gripped his Xros Loader, "Revert from your DigiXros!"

Astamon did as instructed and opened his DigiXros, splitting back up into himself and Triceramon, who was stored back into Ryouma's Xros Loader.

"Reload, LadyDevimon!" the boy yelled. The digimon came out of his Xros Loader, and much like her name states, she's a female version of Devimon. She wore a similar black outfit, with chains wrapped around her arms and stretched down to her torso, which had a belt worn around it. She had black devil wings, long white hair, and red eyes. Her left hand was bigger than her right, and had red claws with weighted belts on her forearm. On her neck, a little black ghost was floating next to her, with the same red eyes as her.

"Astamon, LadyDevimon, DigiXros!" Ryouma ordered. Both of them were engulfed in a bright light as they fused together.

"DigiXros!"

Astamon gained LadyDevimon's wings, as well as her red claws on his hands. The little black ghost was also adorned next to his shoulder.

"Astamon, Devi Xros!" the digimon yelled.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon shot two bursts of fire, with Fanglongmon attacking with energy blasts of his own. Astamon's increase in speed allowed him to avoid the attack and soar at Dorbickmon. He slashed at the dragon's right shoulder, and avoided Dorbickmon's fists. The two attempted to slam into Astamon, however it was avoided. Fanglongmon managed to hit Astamon away with his tail, but not before Astamon slashed Dorbickmon's chest and left shoulder. This hit and away tactic Astamon performed was confusing. It looked like he wasn't inflicting much damage.

"What is Ryouma planning...?"

When he repeated this tactic for the third time. Dorbickmon and Fanglongmon managed to hit Astamon by combining their attacks, sending him crashing into the ground. Everything seemed normal, until we noticed Dorbickmon breathing heavily, as he clutched his left shoulder.

"My arm...it's losing feeling..." the dragon muttered in between breaths.

"Damn it...is this what Ryouma was planning...?" I muttered.

"It's one of LadyDevimon's special attributes." the boy responded, "She has a poison attack which destroys an opponent from the inside. However when she's digixrossed with Astamon, it turns into a poison which numbs a digimon's body through a single scratch. It'll spread through Dorbickmon's body, and in a few minutes he'll lose consciousness long enough for the three minute interval they give competitors to stand to run out."

"Damn it...I have to think fast..." I clenched my fist. Astamon summoned his machine gun. "Hellfire!" the digimon fired round after round of bullets. Dorbickmon jumped away, but the poison got into his bloodstream and he coughed up blood as a result. Since Dorbickmon and Fanglongmon were digixrossed together, it was affecting the yellow dragon as well. Astamon took the advantage and slammed the two to the ground with his machine gun. When they stood up, everyone noticed Dorbickmon's left arm dangling from his body, signifying that it's gone numb. Despite this problem, he and Fanglongmon managed to work up enough energy to body slam Astamon. Fanglongmon grabbed the digimon with his tail and slammed him on the floor. The venom reached Fanglongmon's legs and he in turn, dropped to his knees and the two fell to the ground.

"Dragon...Breath...Tonic...Fire..." Dorbickmon muttered in between breaths as he attempted one last attack. However, the venom coursing through his body caused the attack to be weaker than the previous one, and Astamon easily hit the attack away with his gun.

"D...amn..." the drake groaned, as his vision started to fade. The rest of his body slowly started to shut down.

"There's gotta be a way..." I muttered. Dorbickmon was about to pass out, but an idea surfaced before he lost consciousness. Raising my Xros Loader in the air, everyone heard me yell, "Dorbickmon, Xros Open!"

Dorbickmon and Fanglongmon were split back into two, but Dorbickmon was still suffering from the venom.

_This has to work! _the thought pondered in my mind, "Dorbickmon, Paildramon, DigiXros!"

Dorbickmon was engulfed in the light as he fused with Paildramon.

"DigiXros!" they yelled. He gained Paildramon's attributes as the light faded.

"Dorbickmon, P Xros!" Dorbickmon roared. Everyone noticed he wasn't suffering from the venom anymore.

"It worked!" Dorumon exclaimed. Ryouma smiled.

"I'm impressed! How did you manage to figure it out?" the boy asked as Fanglongmon was stored into my Xros Loader.

"Well, it was a long shot, but an insect has a better defensive system against poison, and since Paildramon has insect data inside of him since he's a digivolution of Stingmon and ExVeemon, then it was worth the risk."

"Clever." Dorumon muttered.

"Now show him Dorbickmon!" I told the drake.

"Desperado Fire!" he attacked Astamon with an assault of fire blasts shot from his blasters and cannons. Astamon swiftly dodged most of the attack, but was hit with the last barrage. Dorbickmon took the advantage and used most of his energy to keep attacking. When the smoke faded, Astamon was damaged, but still standing. The two soared at each other and Astamon hit Dorbickmon on the cheek, while the latter punched Astamon in the gut. Both of them fell to the floor, but managed to land on their feet. Dorbickmon had used most of his energy up in his last attack, and kneeled down in exhaustion.

"Now's your chance Astamon!" Ryouma exclaimed. Astamon ran over and kicked Dorbickmon in the face.

"Grah!" the drake fell to the ground.

"Dorbickmon!" Dorumon exclaimed. Dorbickmon struggled to get up, but when he managed to stand, Astamon had his gun ready and pointed at the dragon. There was a tense moment between the two. It would all be decided by the one who was faster to react. Either Dorbickmon would be able to escape the attack, or Astamon's attack would finish him off. I gripped my Xros Loader, and as Astamon pulled the trigger, yelled, "Xros Open!"

Astamon's attack caused a huge explosion, and when the smoke faded, everyone was surprised to see Dorbickmon had vanished.

"What?!" Astamon's eyes widened with surprise. He looked around for the dragon.

"Up there!" Gumdramon yelled and pointed at Dorbickmon, who landed on the other side of the field. Paildramon on the other hand, landed in front of me, and was stored into my Xros Loader. Ryouma saw me sigh in relief.

"I've never cut it that close before in my life..."

"Incredible..." Slayerdramon muttered.

"Ok...now let's kick it up a notch..." I raised my Xros Loader in the air, "Dorbickmon, Xros Shinka!"

Dorbickmon was engulfed in the light from the Xros Loader as he digivolved.

"Xros Shinka, Dorbickmon Dragon Mode!" he roared as the light faded. Astamon fired his machine gun, using every shell of ammunition he had left. Dorbickmon dodged all of them with ease, and caught the last bullet in his hand. Both of them took to the skies and Astamon attempted to slash the dragon and inject poison now that Dorbickmon wasn't digixrossed with Paildramon. Dorbickmon moved away to avoid his claws, and grabbed Astamon from behind. The dragon threw him to the ground and trapped the digimon inside the earth with Burning the Dragon.

"Go for it Dorbickmon!" Dorumon cheered.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Dorbickmon used the last reserves of his energy to fire two bursts of fire from the cannons on his chest. They combined together and hit Astamon dead on. When the smoke cleared, we saw Psychemon, who was Astamon's normal form, passed out on the ground. He was a small lizard digimon with pink skin, as well as a dark green symbol on his lighter green stomach. Wielding green claws, he wore a white pelt that had purple stripes on it. His eyes were purple and he had a dog's nose, as well as a purple horn on his head along with his tail that had small scales on it. The digimon remained unconscious, and after three minutes we won the match.

"The winner of this semifinal match is Dorbickmon!" Apollomon announced, causing the crowd to explode in cheers. Ryouma walked onto the field and picked up Psychemon, who started waking up.

"Rest up pal, you did a great job." Ryouma told him and stored him in the Xros Loader. He walked up to me, "Looks like I lost. Thanks for the great match." he told me.

"You too Ryouma." I told him, and we shook hands, causing the crowd to roar in cheers.

We went our separate ways and Slayerdramon and the others were waiting for me in the spectators area. They saved me a seat next to Slayerdramon.

"Good job out there." Slayerdramon told me.

"That was an awesome match!" Dorumon exclaimed.

"Thanks guys..."

They all heard my stomach growl, causing Slayerdramon to smile.

"Sounds like you're hungry! Want anything to eat?" he asked.

"Heh...yeah..."

"By the way, you should get ready for your match as well Gumdramon!" Dorumon advised the small dragon.

"Right!" Gumdramon nodded, and walked off with Tagiru. I turned to Slayerdramon.

"Now about that food...I'm famished, but you're treating me to it!" he heard me exclaim.

"We'll see!" Slayerdramon smiled, and we both walked off. Searching around the outside of the center coliseum where all the food booths were, we found Toucanmon with his own little booth that was the color of his beak serving food. We walked up to him, and he recognized me.

"Hey! Long time no see!" the bird smiled.

"So Toucanmon, what are you cooking up this time?"

"Burgers! Their simple to make and are loved by many digimon!" he told us, and gave us two on the house. The burger was as delicious as all the other dishes he's cooked up, and once Slayerdramon took the first bite, he became nearly addicted to the bird's food. He scarfed down fifteen burgers in five minutes, which he paid for. We returned to the ring a few minutes before Tagiru's match began.

"You're back!" Dorumon exclaimed. We sat down next to him.

"The match is about to start." he informed us. We watched as Tagiru and Gumdramon walked onto the field, causing many cheers to erupt. From the other side, Kiriha walked into the arena. The two met on opposite corners of the field.

"Quite a surprise to be competing against a fellow Xros Heart member..." Kiriha told him.

"Yeah..." Tagiru muttered.

"Nevertheless, a battle is a battle. Best of luck to you." Kiriha added.

"Good luck to you as well." Tagiru replied, and turned to Gumdramon, "Ready buddy?"

"Yeah!" Gumdramon exclaimed and ran onto the field. Kiriha grabbed his Xros Loader.

"Reload, Greymon, MailBirdramon!" he ordered. Both digimon appeared on the field, ready for battle.

"Greymon, MailBirdramon, DigiXros!" Kiriha yelled. Both digimon were engulfed in a bright light, as they fused together.

"DigiXros!" they roared.

Greymon's tail was replaced with the head and neck of MailBirdramon, and he gained the claw MailBirdramon usually has near the tip of its tail on his left hand. He gained MailBirdramon's wings, with a gun port on Greymon's back. MailBirdramon's armor was adorned onto Greymon's chest and on his legs. Finally, the helmet MailBirdramon had on his back that had a red horn on it covered Greymon's head, as he stared at Gumdramon through the red eye visor.

"MetalGreymon!" the digimon roared.

"This will be a tough match..." RizeGreymon muttered.

"Yeah..." I glanced over at Slayerdramon, who had stuffed himself with so much food that he decided to sleep it off, reclining back in his seat with his feet on the railing as he annoyed us with his snoring. My attention turned back to the match.

_Gumdramon...good luck..._


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: The Light of The Gold Digizoid: Arresterdramon vs ZekeGreymon**

Both MetalGreymon and Gumdramon were prepared for battle.

"Are you both ready?" Apollomon asked. Tagiru and Kiriha nodded in agreement.

"Very well, you may commence!" the digimon announced. The thrusters on MetalGreymon's metal wings lit up as he charged at Gumdramon. The small dragon slid under MetalGreymon's feet to avoid being slammed into. MetalGreymon took to the skies.

"Giga Destroyer!"

The MailBirdramon head he wielded on his tail opened up, revealing a gun port inside, as the other six cannon ports on his wings lit up and shot out seven blasts of blue energy that homed in on Gumdramon. The small dragon moved swiftly and dodged each one without receiving a scratch.

"Trident Arm!"

The metal claw MetalGreymon wielded on his left hand turned red as he soared at Gumdramon and attacked. Gumdramon jumped up to avoid the attack, and it caused MetalGreymon to strike the ground, forming a crater.

"Fire Vortex!"

The tail hammer Gumdramon wielded was engulfed in a flame as he spun around. MetalGreymon landed on his feet and blocked the attack with his arm. He hit Gumdramon away, who landed on the ground safely.

"Gumdramon's being cautious with how he uses his energy..." I muttered.

"I think he's planning to get MetalGreymon exhausted before digivolving..." Dorumon explained.

"It's a good plan...but only if he can keep up his evasiveness..." Ouryumon added. The three of us glanced over at Slayerdramon, who despite the roar of the crowd cheering and the battle taking place, was still snoring away comfortably in his seat.

"Slayerdramon, wake up." the three of us told him. Ouryumon nudged the dragon's gut with his elbow, but Slayerdramon simply snorted and turned his head towards me, continuing his snoring rampage. Dorumon sighed.

"How can he sleep during all of this...?" the digimon asked.

"Trust me. A meteor could hit next to him and he'd still be snoring away..." Ouryumon exaggerated.

"Giga Destroyer!"

Back in the ring, Gumdramon swiftly avoided MetalGreymon's attack as he ran up to the cyborg.

"Jacked Hammer!"

Gumdramon's tail hammer grew in size as he jumped onto MetalGreymon's leg, and from there jumped towards the cyborg and hit the digimon in the chest. MetalGreymon grunted in pain, and stumbled back because of the recoil.

"Trident Arm!"

He attempted to hit Gumdramon with his claw, but the small dragon avoided the attack and hit the cyborg in the face with another Jacked Hammer attack. MetalGreymon stumbled back a few steps.

_Gumdramon is playing it safe..._ Kiriha thought, _He knows his smaller size will make it difficult for MetalGreymon to land a hit on him. That must be what Tagiru is planning. He wants to tire out MetalGreymon before resorting to digivolution. But if he thinks we are going to let that happen, he's got another thing coming..._

"Fire Vortex!" Gumdramon yelled. MetalGreymon avoided his attack and made his way back to Kiriha.

"MetalGreymon! Keep up the attack and don't give him any time to retaliate!" the boy ordered. MetalGreymon soared at Gumdramon, attacking with Trident Arm. Gumdramon avoided it, but MetalGreymon slammed his tail into the digimon, sending Gumdramon crashing into the ground.

"Gumdramon!" Tagiru yelled. The small dragon managed to stand on his feet.

"I'm fine Tagiru..." Gumdramon told him, "But it looks like they caught on to our plan. We need to step it up a notch."

"Alright." Tagiru grabbed his Xros Loader, "Gumdramon, Chou Shinka!"

The light engulfed Gumdramon as he digivolved.

"Chou Shinka, Arresterdramon!"

Arresterdramon charged at MetalGreymon. He slammed into the cyborg, who held him off. While they struggled, Arresterdramon wrapped his tail anchor around MetalGreymon's leg. He jumped away, heading into the air. Arresterdramon pulled his tail towards himself, surprising MetalGreymon.

"What?!" he was swept off his feet as Arresterdramon pulled the cyborg towards him.

"Mach Flicker!"

Arresterdramon assaulted MetalGreymon with many rapid punches to the digimon's chest. MetalGreymon defended his midsection, but was still damaged. Arresterdramon swung MetalGreymon around using his tail and threw the beast towards the ground.

"Stand your ground!" Kiriha ordered. MetalGreymon managed to flip himself over before impact and land on his feet.

"Giga Destroyer!"

The digimon fired seven blasts of blue energy. Arresterdramon swiftly avoided the attack, but was caught off guard by MetalGreymon, who hit him in the gut with Trident Arm. The dragon yelled in pain.

"Arresterdramon!" Tagiru exclaimed, as the digimon fell to the floor. MetalGreymon landed in front of Kiriha.

"You fight decently, but you're still too rash in battle." Kiriha told them, grabbing his Xros Loader. "Reload, Deckerdramon!"

The digimon appeared next to MetalGreymon. Deckerdramon was a huge metal crocodile with scales that were a faint cobalt blue on his legs. However that was the only part of his body that was not mechanical. His head, back and feet were all covered in brown armor. His face had many plates of black armor, some of which covered his mouth shut. There were brown cylinders on his lower jaw. His shins were covered in black armor with a scale texture, and his metal claws were silver. At the end of his tail, he wielded a huge black blaster that had four spikes around the center. On his back, he wielded a huge black missile port, and there were silver pistons on the the top of his hind legs. He looked at Arresterdramon with his red eyes.

"MetalGreymon, Deckerdramon, DigiXros!" Kiriha raised his Xros Loader in the air, as both digimon were engulfed in the light emitting from the screen.

"DigiXros!"

MetalGreymon's Trident Arm became more of a claw, as he gained a metal blaster on his other arm, which was attached to what appeared to be Deckerdramon's head. MetalGreymon's feet were replaced by two tank tracks of brown armor, with missile ports on the side.

"DeckerGreymon!" it roared.

The crowd exploded in cheers. Dorumon looked worried.

"Arresterdramon better be careful. DeckerGreymon's got both offense, defense and swift movement. He's a living tank, and those attacks of his could shoot him out of the sky..." he explained.

"Cyber Blader!"

DeckerGreymon shot out a blast of orange plasma from the blaster on his arm. The cannons on his back lit up and shot beams of energy into the sphere, which caused a reaction in the attack, causing blasts to rain down on the arena. Arresterdramon avoided the attack the best he could, but he was hit nonetheless. The dragon yelled in pain as he hit the floor. Arresterdramon struggled to get up.

"Damn it...! DeckerGreymon can cover his blind spot with that attack...I need to think fast..." Tagiru muttered.

"Spiral Shredder!"

Arresterdramon spun around rapidly as he attacked DeckerGreymon, who managed to avoid the attack. Arresterdramon landed in front of him and continue his assault with Mach Flicker. DeckerGreymon grunted in pain, but held off the attack as he fired the blaster on his arm in point-blank range, which blasted Arresterdramon into a wall. The drake managed to stay on his feet, but stumbled slightly as he walked forward, breathing heavily.

"Tagiru needs to DigiXros him immediately. If it keeps up like this, Kiriha will prevail." I muttered. DeckerGreymon readied another attack.

"Tagiru...we need a plan..." Arresterdramon muttered in between breaths. Tagiru began to contemplate ideas in his head.

_DeckerGreymon has offense, defense and fast movement. He can shoot down aerial forces with his blaster, so that covers his blind spots. I could boost Arresterdramon's defense, but what I also need is an increase in speed. Come on...think! What digimon do I have that can benefit both factors?!_

DeckerGreymon started approaching Arresterdramon, who raised his fists and prepared himself.

"I got it!" Tagiru hatched an idea and raised his crimson colored Xros Loader in the air.

"Reload, Rapidmon!" the boy called out. DeckerGreymon stopped in his tracks as the digimon appeared next to Arresterdramon. Rapidmon wielded a green helmet with a spike on the forehead. His ears were long, and were made of the same green armor, but with red on the tips. His armor was also the same shade, and covered both his chest and his groin, where it was made to resemble a huge sphere. He wore green metal boots which were silver on the front and back. On his shoulders was silver armor with a line of green on the bottom. His hands contained missile ports on the center, and he wielded a bigger port on his back. His arms were covered in black leather like armor, similar to the one that Slayerdramon wears. His arms and legs gave the impression that he was a white rabbit underneath all that metal. He landed on the field, looking at Arresterdramon with his blue eyes.

"Arresterdramon, Rapidmon, DigiXros!" Tagiru yelled. Both digimon were engulfed in the light of his Xros Loader and the two fused together.

"DigiXros!"

Arresterdramon's legwarmers disappeared, being replaced with shin guards of green armor. On his shoulders, he gained a missile port that was originally Rapidmon's hand, as well as the digimon's long ears of green armor. He gained a green spike on the top of his snout and another missile port on his back

"Arresterdramon, Rapid Xros!"

"Go Arresterdramon!" Dorumon cheered.

"Plasma Deckerdrauncher!"

DeckerGreymon fired continuous plasma spheres from the blaster on his arm. Arresterdramon surprised us with his speed as he swiftly avoided each blast. His rapidity gave the impression that he was merely a blur.

"That speed is incredible..." I muttered, "It's hard to keep up with his movements."

"Yeah..." Dorumon was glued to his seat. Both of us along with Ouryumon glanced at Slayerdramon again, who was still snoring up a storm. The three of us finally became annoyed by it.

"Wake up Slayerdramon!" we yelled. Ouryumon hit him on the gut with his forearm and the dragon jolted awake from his nap.

"Huh?!" he looked around frantically for a moment, then yawned as he stretched his arms and moved his feet off the railing.

"What did I miss...?" he asked. The three of us simply sighed and turned our attention toward the match.

"Cyber Blader!"

Deckerdramon fired a ball of plasma from the cannon on his arm, and the cannons on his wings shot blasts into it, causing the sphere to break apart and rain down on the field, heading toward Arresterdramon. The dragon dodged the assault easily, as he made his way behind DeckerGreymon. Giving the cyborg a swift kick to the back, DeckerGreymon was pushed forward, but Arresterdramon chased after him.

"Mach Flicker!"

He assaulted DeckerGreymon with a rapid assault of punches, nearly knocking the digimon toward the ground.

"Plasma Deckerdrauncher!"

DeckerGreymon turned around and fired a sphere of plasma from his arm cannon.

"Prism Beam!"

Arresterdramon was engulfed in a green light as he avoided the attack and slammed into DeckerGreymon. The cyborg roared in pain as the attack pushed him into the wall. DeckerGreymon reverted back into MetalGreymon and Deckerdramon, who was stored into Kiriha's Xros Loader.

"I think he might have a chance!" Dorumon exclaimed.

_No...it just got worse for him..._ I thought otherwise. MetalGreymon rose to his feet.

"Go, Arresterdramon!" Tagiru ordered. Arresterdramon charged, but stopped when he noticed MetalGreymon emanating a bright light.

"What?!" the dragon exclaimed. Kiriha raised his Xros Loader in the air.

"MetalGreymon, Chou Shinka!" he yelled. The digimon was engulfed in a pillar of light as it started to digivolve.

"MetalGreymon, Chou Shinka!" he roared

"Oh no!" Dorumon exclaimed. MetalGreymon's entire body changed. Most of his armor became a bright gold color, similar to OmegaShoutmon. The exceptions were on his neck, stomach, arms and legs, which were clad in a dark gray armor instead. His eyes were red, and his head had golden spikes protruding out near the back, similar to Dorbickmon, as well as two on his forehead and one silver horn on his snout. He had spikes protruding out of his cheeks, and his lower jaw was gray. The digimon's left hand changed into a golden claw with three steel spikes, and his right hand now contained a a silver blaster as a hand. His metal tail adorned another blaster on the tip, and his wings were now gold and metallic, no longer resembling MailBirdramon's, but resembled metallic dragon wings that did not move. He had orange stripes on his legs, and he had gray spikes on his knees pointing away from him. He now resembled the exact same digimon in the video feed Shoutmon gave me.

"ZekeGreymon!" it roared.

"Damn...!" Arresterdramon clenched his fist.

"Plasma Railgun!" ZekeGreymon fired a blue blast of energy from the gun on his right hand. Arresterdramon avoided the attack, but ZekeGreymon took to the skies using the thrusters on the soles of his feet, and slammed into him. Arresterdramon yelled in pain as ZekeGreymon slammed him onto the ground.

"Arresterdramon!" Tagiru yelled.

Arresterdramon rose to his feet slowly, only to be knocked into the wall by ZekeGreymon's tail. The dragon stumbled a bit, but stood his ground.

"Rapid Fire!"

Arresterdramon fired missiles from his shoulders. They homed in on ZekeGreymon.

"Destroy Smasher!" the cyborg spun around, increasing velocity as he fired a barrage of ammunition from his tail. It blasted the missiles into nothing, as well as hitting Arresterdramon. The dragon growled in pain and fell to one knee in exhaustion.

"Zeke Flame!" ZekeGreymon exhaled a burst of flames from his mouth, hitting Arresterdramon and reverting him back into himself and Rapidmon, who was stored into Tagiru's Xros Loader. When the flames subsided, everyone noticed Arresterdramon on the floor, down for the count.

"Oh no..." I muttered.

"Arresterdramon!" Tagiru exclaimed.

"Get up Arresterdramon!" Dorumon yelled from the stands. It took a few seconds, but Arresterdramon managed to stand up before the three minute countdown ended. The crowd cheered for him. Tagiru sighed in relief.

"That was too close..." the boy muttered. Arresterdramon jumped back to Tagiru's side. Kiriha crossed his arms.

"You two have gotten better at battling." Kiriha noted, "But you're still recklessly throwing your well being in battle. Haven't you learned anything from these past few months...?"

Tagiru clenched his fist, and glanced at the ground.

"It's true..." he admitted, "I still have the tendency to run into battle headfirst without much thought, and it usually takes me a few minutes to sort out a plan, meanwhile Arresterdramon takes a beating."

Kiriha stayed silent, as he and ZekeGreymon looked at them.

"But that's why I left with Taiki a few months ago from the Digital World." Tagiru explained, "I knew that I had to develop a more calm and collected mind, and he's the best person I could learn from!"

We noticed Tagiru's Xros Loader emanating a bright light, surprising the crowd, as well as ZekeGreymon and Kiriha.

"Is he-?!" Dorumon's face widened with surprise.

"Thanks to him, I've gotten this far, and Arresterdramon and I will climb to the top!" he exclaimed. ZekeGreymon readied himself for battle.

"Go, Arresterdramon!" Tagiru raised his Xros Loader in the air, and it shout out a burst of blue light, hitting Arresterdramon. The digimon grew in size, becoming almost as big as ZekeGreymon. His gloves ripped open, revealing his sharp white claws. He gained two red horns on his head, and his wings grew out, becoming yellow and more dragon-like. The plates of armor on his pants opened up, revealing yellow spikes underneath. His silver tail anchor grew longer and was now plated in a dark gold color. He gained a dewclaw on the back of his foot, and on his stomach, a gold orb was lodged in his gut. His arms and legs grew more muscle, but what was most noticeable was his face. His eyes were now white and his irises retained their green color, but were now reptile slits. The plate of armor covering his mouth disappeared, as his lower jaw grew longer, revealing his razor sharp fangs.

"Arresterdramon, Superior Mode!" he roared, taking us all by surprise.

The dragon roared as he chased after ZekeGreymon, who took to the skies.

"Zeke Flame!" he exhaled a burst of fire from his mouth. Arresterdramon dodged it and gave the cyborg a swift blow to the gut. ZekeGreymon roared in pain.

"Go Arresterdramon!" Dorumon cheered.

"He might actually win!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. Despite them cheering for him, I couldn't help but think otherwise. Arresterdramon hit ZekeGreymon away, chasing after him. He passed the cyborg, turned around and hit him in the back, sending the digimon flying in the other direction.

"You're not getting away!" Arresterdramon roared. Sending his tail anchor, he wrapped it around ZekeGreymon's body and pulled him back. Arresterdramon charged and readied his fist. He hit the cyborg in the chest, sending him flying away. However since he was still in the grip of Arresterdramon's tail, ZekeGreymon was pulled back towards the dragon, who continuously assaulted him with punches. However, throughout Arresterdramon's brutal beating, it looked like ZekeGreymon wasn't as fazed as any other opponent would normally be. He was withstanding the pain and attacks, and we noticed him start emanating a bright yellow light as Arresterdramon started slamming him repeatedly on the ground. After ten attacks on the arena, Arresterdramon pulled ZekeGreymon towards him.

"Prism Gallet!" he roared as he turned into a bright light and slammed into ZekeGreymon, who wasn't shocked and simply let his armor shine brightly. The collision caused a bright explosion to blind us, and it sent a strong shock wave around the field, producing cracks on the entire battle ground as well as dents in the arena.

"Woah!" Dorumon exclaimed.

"What power..." Slayerdramon muttered. When the light faded. Arresterdramon landed next to Tagiru, looking extremely exhausted from his assault. They waited for the smoke to clear so they could see the result.

"Did we win...?" Tagiru muttered. The smoke faded, revealing that ZekeGreymon was still standing, with very minimal damage.

"What?!" both of them were shocked.

"But how is that possible?!" Dorumon exclaimed, "ZekeGreymon was hit full force!"

"It was the light ZekeGreymon was emanating." I explained. Dorumon, Ouryumon and Slayerdramon looked at me.

"How is ZekeGreymon still standing..." Tagiru gritted his teeth.

"You've grown strong." Kiriha admitted, "Arresterdramon Superior Mode was a good trump card, but you are still inexperienced. You still need to learn more about not only the digimon, but about the armor they wield."

"What do you mean...?" Tagiru asked.

"I saw it once during the video feed of Dorbickmon's fight with ZekeGreymon back when he was serving the Bagra Army." I muttered. Kiriha explained it to Tagiru, and at the same time Ouryumon, Slayerdramon and Dorumon heard it from me.

"The Gold Digizoid can radiate a bright light that leaves the digimon wielding it invulnerable for a period of time. ZekeGreymon had used it during the midst of Arresterdramon's assault to minimize the damage inflicted to near nothing." we explained.

"That light is also what caused Dorbickmon's Tyrant Collbrande to be negated when they fought in Dragon Land." I added.

"Damn it...!" Arresterdramon muttered, catching his breath. He had exhausted his muscles in the assault.

"Now it's time we as Blue Flare retaliate!" Kiriha told them.

"Plasma Railgun!"

ZekeGreymon fired a blast of blue energy from the blaster on his right hand. Arresterdramon avoided the attack, but was caught off guard when ZekeGreymon propelled himself towards the dragon and slammed into Arresterdramon's stomach.

"Guh!" Arresterdramon grunted in pain, getting the wind knocked out of him.

"Arresterdramon!" Tagiru exclaimed. ZekeGreymon grabbed Arresterdramon and slammed him on the floor.

"Zeke Flame!" the cyborg exhaled a burst of fire from his mouth. Arresterdramon held off the attack, receiving many burns to his body. He rose to his feet, breathing heavily. However, Arresterdramon also noticed ZekeGreymon running out of energy as well.

"It seems that it's time to finish the match." Kiriha told them.

"Don't give up Arresterdramon." Tagiru told the drake.

"Not a chance Tagiru..." the dragon growled. With his remaining energy, he charged at ZekeGreymon, who did the same, and the two readied their hands.

"If Arresterdramon can punch ZekeGreymon in a nerve, he might be able to numb a part of the cyborg's body and still be able to win this." Dorumon muttered. Everyone watched as the two collided in the attack. The crowd remained silent, waiting for the result. Arresterdramon had landed a hit on the side of ZekeGreymon's head, but ZekeGreymon struck a blow to Arresterdramon's abdomen. Neither attack pierced through their bodies, but the result after the grueling wait was clear.

"G...guh..."

Arresterdramon stepped back in pain. His energy ran out, and he fell back, collapsing on the floor.

"Arresterdramon!" Tagiru yelled. Unfortunately for them, Arresterdramon degenerated back into Gumdramon, and he was still unconscious after three minutes.

"The winner of this second match is ZekeGreymon!" Apollomon announced. The crowd cheered for the two. We noticed ZekeGreymon drop to one knee and degenerate back into MetalGreymon. Tagiru ran over to Gumdramon, and picked up the digimon in his arms.

"Gumdramon..."

The dragon started waking up, and glanced at his partner.

"Tagiru..." he muttered, and gave a slight smile despite losing the match, "I'm going to be sore for the rest of today..."

Tagiru couldn't help but smile at Gumdramon's little joke.

"I'm sure you will..." he responded, and stored Gumdramon in the Xros Loader. He and Kiriha walked up to each other.

"I guess we still need more experience, both in battle and in using Superior Mode..." Tagiru muttered.

"Somewhat, but you both still managed to give ZekeGreymon a bit of damage with that last attack." Kiriha responded with a slight smile, "If Arresterdramon didn't run out of energy, he could've beaten ZekeGreymon. You two have improved since DigiQuartz..."

"Thanks." Tagiru smiled, and they both shook hands. The crowd exploded in cheers at the extreme match the two put on.

"That moves Kiriha onto the finals." Slayerdramon muttered.

"Yeah..." Dorumon glanced at me. I was deep in thought, trying to figure out a weak point for the Gold DigiZoid's ability. If Kiriha can use it continuously, then Dorbickmon won't stand a chance, no matter how much power he has. It was a difficult situation to deal with since there was little we knew about the armor.

"Hey." Slayerdramon snapped me out of it. Glancing at him, he gave me a smile.

"We know it looks problematic, but I know you'll be able to find some way to beat him. You've prevailed in similar battles before. This one should be no different." he gave me a pep talk.

"Slayerdramon..."

"Go out there and win kid." we heard RizeGreymon from behind us. MachGaogamon was next to him.

"No opponent is invincible. You'll figure out something." the wolf added. They all seemed to believe that we could still win, despite what we are up against, giving me a bit more confidence.

"Thanks guys..."

On that note, they watched me stand up and walk off. The final battle that would decide who was right between me and Kiriha had finally arrived. Dorbickmon and I will find a way to penetrate ZekeGreymon's defense, and we will win this tournament.

_Kiriha...get ready, because we will prove that Dorbickmon deserves a second chance to you, and we won't go down without a fight._


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: The Final Confrontation: Dorbickmon Vs ZekeGreymon Part 1**

The roar of the crowd boomed throughout the hallways of the coliseum. It sounded as if everyone was anxious to see the final match. Walking out into the arena, the crowd cheered for both of us as Kiriha walked in from the other side. We stood in front of each other, and noticed Shoutmon and Taiki walk up to us.

"Congrats to you both for making it this far." Taiki congratulated us, "Are you both ready to conclude this tournament?"

Both of us nodded in determination and agreement. Shoutmon turned to the crowd.

"Hey! Hi-VisionMonitormon!" he called out. In front of us appeared four of them. They were dressed in black ninja outfits with a purple shirt underneath. They wore a red belt around their waist with pouches on them. Along with matching red gloves, and a red backpack, each one of them wielded a gold television antenna as a weapon, and had a matching gold radio transmitter on their heads. Interestingly enough, their heads were actually a television screen. They were slightly taller than Shoutmon.

"Hi-VisionMonitormon, at your service!" one of them announced.

"Good." Shoutmon nodded, then turned to us, "Don't worry about these guys. They will be out of the way from the fight."

"Alright." Taiki turned around. He raised his red Xros Loader in the air, "Gate Open!"

The screen on the device emitted a bright light, and we noticed the flag of Xros Heart appear. It was red, with a white outline that resembled Shoutmon's head on it. It faded away, revealing a gate of light in front of us.

"This will take you to the location of your battleground." he informed us, "Good luck to both of you out there."

On that note, Kiriha and I walked in, with the Hi-VisionMonitormon following. The gate closed behind us.

"Good luck kid..." Slayerdramon muttered. Four other Hi-VisionMonitormon ran into the field. With their combined power, they made four huge holographic screens appear from their faces, for the spectators to watch the match. The screens picked up a signal, and they were soon able to see us both from the eyes of one of the Hi-VisionMonitormon following us. Kiriha and I were traveling at a fast pace. The gate itself was made of transparent light, so we were able to view our surroundings. After a few minutes of voyage, we arrived in familiar rocky terrain, with nothing but mountains surrounding us.

"How suiting..." Kiriha muttered, recognizing the setting of our final match. It was not difficult to figure out.

"It's...the exact same battleground where you fought Dorbickmon when he was a Death General..."

"Shoutmon must have figured out that we were going to be the finalists..." he turned to me. One of the Hi-VisionMonitormon walked up to us.

"Alright, don't take things too far you two." it advised us. As elusive as ninjas, the four of them quickly hid from sight.

"Before we begin, there is something I need to ask you..." Kiriha reached for his Xros Loader.

"What is it...?"

The boy gave me a stern look. "...what impulsed you to help Dorbickmon?" he asked, "Shoutmon told me what's happened between you two up to this point. Why would you recklessly put your life in danger for him...?"

"Because he's changed." I responded, "Yeah, he tried to kill me, but we've gotten passed that! We are a team now!"

Kiriha crossed his arms, "We will see. You wanted a match between ZekeGreymon and Dorbickmon, and we will give you just that. No extra help from other digimon in our Xros Loader. It will just be him and ZekeGreymon. But throughout this battle, I want you to ask yourself something."

"What is it...?"

"Has he truly changed his ways...?" Kiriha posed the question.

"He has! And we will prove it!"

Both of us grabbed our Xros Loaders.

"Reload, MetalGreymon!" Kiriha yelled.

"Reload, Dorbickmon!"

Both digimon appeared on the field in front of us. Upon noticing each other, Dorbickmon and MetalGreymon exchanged glares.

"Blue Flare...!" Dorbickmon snarled. Despite not being able to see the Hi-VisionMonitormon, we could hear Shoutmon's voice echoing through the field since he was speaking into one of the other Hi-VisionMonitormons back in the tournament grounds.

"Let the final match to conclude the tournament, commence!" he exclaimed. Both Dorbickmon and MetalGreymon charged at each other. MetalGreymon attacked with Trident Arm, and Dorbickmon countered with a punch. The collision caused a strong shock wave to hit both me and Kiriha, but we held it off as the two digimon jumped away from each other.

"Again!" we ordered. The two charged and exchanged a blow to the cheek. The entire crowd back at the coliseum watched intently. The two digimon jumped away from each other again, and Dorbickmon immediately started charging. MetalGreymon avoided his punch, and jumped away when Dorbickmon tried to kick him. Charging up his Giga Destroyer, he fired his attack without hesitation. Dorbickmon avoided the blasts and jumped over the cyborg. He grabbed MetalGreymon from behind. The cyborg took to the sky to try and shake Dorbickmon off. The drake let go and attacked with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, but MetalGreymon avoided the attack. He swooped around and fired Giga Destroyer. Dorbickmon avoided every blast, but MetalGreymon dove down towards him with Trident Arm ready. Dorbickmon countered with a punch, and attacked with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire in point-blank range soon after, causing an explosion. He jumped out of the smoke, landing in front of me. When the smoke faded, we saw MetalGreymon standing with minimal damage. Dorbickmon growled at the sight. His eye flashed and the cyborg was surrounded by a group of boulders. Clenching his fist, the boulders lunged at MetalGreymon, who took to the skies to avoid being crushed. Dorbickmon tried to shoot him out of the sky with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, but the cyborg swiftly avoided each blast. MetalGreymon landed next to Kiriha. Dorbickmon summoned his blade of flames from his mouth. He charged at the cyborg.

"Tyrant Collbrande!"

"Trident Arm!"

Dorbickmon vertically swung his sword, but MetalGreymon blocked it with his attack. The cyborg used his Trident Arm to block every attack Dorbickmon performed with his blade, no matter how powerful. It angered Dorbickmon, who tried to use the sword to crack the armor on MetalGreymon's chest, but the cyborg grabbed the blade with his Trident Arm.

"Now's your chance!" Kiriha ordered.

"Giga Destroyer!"

The cannons on his wings lit up and he hit Dorbickmon dead on. The dragon was blasted away ten feet, dropping his sword and colliding with the ground.

"Dorbickmon!" my eyes widened with shock. The drake managed to stand on his feet, snarling. It was obvious something was wrong with him.

"Dorbickmon, we have to work together on this!"

"Shut it!" he barked, and grabbed his sword again. Dorbickmon rushed at MetalGreymon. Kiriha nodded in disagreement.

"This only serves to prove my point..." the boy muttered, "Dorbickmon doesn't care about what your opinion is! Why do you think he refuses to take orders?!"

MetalGreymon avoided the drake's sword and knocked him away with Trident Arm. Dorbickmon started getting furious as he rose to his feet again.

"Damn it...!" I gritted my teeth, "Dorbickmon's letting his anger for losing to Blue Flare in the past get to him...I have to snap him out of it so he can concentrate...!"

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon shot out two bursts of fire from the cannons on his chest. MetalGreymon avoided the blasts and attacked with Trident Arm. Dorbickmon moved to the side and managed to hit MetalGreymon away, knocking the cyborg onto the ground.

"Dorbickmon, listen to me! You have to calm down! You can't let your anger get the best of you! We can beat them, but only if you're willing to work together with me!"

MetalGreymon hit Dorbickmon with Giga Destroyer, blasting him into a mountain nearby. Slayerdramon and the others watched from the hologram in the tournament grounds.

"Damn it Dorbickmon...!" he muttered.

"If it continues like this, then both of them will lose." Dorumon explained. Slayerdramon clenched his fist.

"Dorbickmon, for once in your life, work with your partner!" he barked. Back in the fight, Dorbickmon escaped from the rubble that collapsed on him. He snarled in pain, glaring at MetalGreymon.

"Dorbickmon, you won't win if you let your thirst for revenge blind you from figuring out a strategy!" he heard me yell. Kiriha crossed his arms.

"It's a shameful sight to see this arguing. You two had gotten so far only to lose it all because of Dorbickmon's lack of cooperation."

The boy grabbed his Xros Loader. The screen emitted a bright gold light, and the symbol of a Z appeared on the screen.

"MetalGreymon, Chou Shinka!"

The cyborg was engulfed in a gold pillar of light as he started to digivolve.

"Damn it..." I clenched my fist. The light faded, revealing the digimon.

"Chou Shinka, ZekeGreymon!" the cyborg roared. Dorbickmon snarled viciously at the sight, remembering his defeat at the hands of the digimon. It angered him to his core, noted by his hateful glare.

"We won't waste any time trying to prolong the battle." Kiriha explained, "Your hard work is commendable, but it doesn't prove anything. Dorbickmon can't change."

ZekeGreymon's armor started emanating a faint gold light, engulfing him. It was this same tactic he used to beat Arresterdramon Superior Mode.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Dorbickmon shot out two bursts of flames from the cannons on his chest, but the attack barely fazed the cyborg, who charged up the gun on his right hand.

"Plasma Railgun!"

ZekeGreymon fired a blast of blue flames. Dorbickmon jumped away, but the attack hit his shoulder.

"Grah!" he snarled in pain. The injury distracted him from seeing ZekeGreymon soar at him and deliver a strong blow to the stomach. Dorbickmon coughed up blood. ZekeGreymon swung around and slammed his tail into the dragon's face, sending Dorbickmon crashing into the ground next to me.

"Damn it...!"

"If Dorbickmon really has changed, then he'd treat you with more respect!" Kiriha retorted. I ran over to Dorbickmon, who struggled to stand.

"Are you okay?!"

"Don't ask such a stupid question..." Dorbickmon snarled as he rose to his feet again.

"Now will you listen to me?! We have to start working together!"

"QUIET! There is no 'WE' in this battle!" he barked, giving me a hateful glare, "It's between me...and Blue Flare..."

He started walking forward, but to both Kiriha and ZekeGreymon's surprise, they watched me step in front of Dorbickmon, stopping him from running back into the fight.

"Get the hell out of my way!" Dorbickmon bellowed, furious about me intervening.

"No." was my simple response to his anger.

"This kid...Is he trying to get himself killed...?" ZekeGreymon muttered. Dorbickmon gave me hateful glare, but it wasn't a surprise.

"Glare at me all you want, and if you attack him without listening, then I'll store you back in the Xros Loader."

"You're bluffing!" Dorbickmon barked.

"Try me."

Kiriha watched in surprise. _What is he trying to accomplish by angering him...?_ he wondered. Back in the coliseum, everyone watching was also confused by what's happening.

"What's he doing..." Dorumon asked. He turned to Slayerdramon, who knew what was going on.

_Carlos...don't push your luck..._ the drake thought, fully aware of what happens when someone steps in front of Dorbickmon when he's in battle.

"Whatever happened between you and Blue Flare, it's in the past. Get over it." I retorted, "We are not here for you to get revenge for the past, we are here to show them you deserve another chance."

Dorbickmon clenched his fist in anger. By the way he snarled, it was obvious he wanted to hit me for what he thought of as "insubordination". From behind me, ZekeGreymon stopped using the ability of his Gold DigiZoid, and watched to see what would be the result.

"If you want to win, then you have to set aside your anger and frustration so you can focus. You won't last long by charging headfirst in blind rage. You're not stupid."

Dorbickmon raised his fist and was prepared to make an example of me, but it didn't faze me. This match was a pivotal moment, and there's no way I'd let him screw it up because of his bloodthirsty craving for revenge on Blue Flare. His threats wouldn't intimidate me. The wait was grueling, but the result shocked everyone.

"...fine..." Dorbickmon snarled, reluctantly giving in to my command.

Kiriha and ZekeGreymon's eyes widened with surprise, as did most of the crowd watching back in the coliseum.

"What...?!" the cyborg exclaimed.

"Dorbickmon...obeyed the order...?" Kiriha muttered. Dorbickmon put his fist down and glared at me.

"What do you have planned...?" he growled, disliking every minute of what seemed to him like a moment of complete, utter humiliation.

"I know of a few strategies from our time spent training to help, but they will only work if you're willing to cooperate with me for once."

Everyone watched him close his eyes, trying to calm himself down. Baring his teeth at me, he opened his eyes after a few moments.

"...very well." he huffed. Back in the coliseum, Slayerdramon watched and gave a slight smile.

_That's it...work together you two..._ he thought. I turned around to face Kiriha and ZekeGreymon.

"Things will be different from here. Now the real fight begins."

My Xros Loader emitted the same gold light Kiriha's did a few minutes ago, and on the screen the symbol Δ appeared on its side.

"He might become furious when I ask him to work with me. But that's his personality! And once we work together, we can take down our opponents!" Kiriha watched me raise my Xros Loader in the air, "Dorbickmon, Xros Shinka!"

"Xros Shinka..." Kiriha muttered. He and ZekeGreymon watched as Dorbickmon was engulfed in the light. The drake digivolved into a familiar form they had encountered before.

"Xros Shinka, Dorbickmon Dragon Mode!" he roared. Back in the coliseum, the crowd roared with cheers as they watched the battle resumed.

"Go for it kid..." Slayerdramon smiled. Dorbickmon stood next to me.

"Xros Shinka." Kiriha noticed, "Shoutmon had mentioned this alternative to DigiXrossing. This was another variation of Chou Shinka."

ZekeGreymon prepared himself for battle.

"However, a simple evolution won't win this battle. It will all come down to the teamwork of a general and his partner digimon!" the boy yelled. Both ZekeGreymon and Dorbickmon stared each other down.

"Dorbickmon, surround him with boulders using Burning the Dragon." I ordered, "It's time to test my idea."

Reluctantly, the drake followed orders. His eye flashed and a group of stones appeared from the ground around ZekeGreymon, but it didn't scare him. The cyborg started spinning around, not noticing that it was expected of him to do this.

_One...two...three..._

"Destroy Smasher!" he roared.

_...four._

The cannon on his tail shot out a barrage of energy blasts, reducing the stones to nothing. The look on Kiriha's face showed that he was wondering what was the point of that attack, However it proved to justify ZekeGreymon's weakness in the battle feed Shoutmon gave me.

"Four seconds." Dorbickmon heard me, "That's how much time you have to stop him from using that attack."

He glanced at me, with a look of surprise hidden under his seriousness. _This kid..._ he thought, _He wasted all that time on Examon's Island for that...?_

"Get ready."

He shifted his gaze towards ZekeGreymon, who stopped spinning and prepared his blaster.

"Plasma Railgun!" the cyborg roared. Dorbickmon avoided the attack. He took to the skies and ZekeGreymon chased after him.

"Trident Fang!" he attacked with the claw on his left hand. Dorbickmon moved to avoid the cyborg's claw and gave him a punch to the face. ZekeGreymon was pushed back due to the force.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

ZekeGreymon shielded his midsection before getting hit. The attack blasted him away even further.

_ZekeGreymon must be planning to use the ability of the Gold DigiZoid when he's running low on energy..._ I thought, _But there's no way we will let him beat us. There's no way we're giving up now..._

Both ZekeGreymon and Dorbickmon exchanged blows to the face. The two snarled in pain, but they didn't give in. They engaged in close combat. Dorbickmon assaulted the cyborg with fierce blows to the body, while ZekeGreymon slashed at the drake's scales with his claw. ZekeGreymon managed to turn around and slam his tail into Dorbickmon, knocking the dragon away.

"Zeke Flame!" the cyborg exhaled a burst of fire from his mouth. Dorbickmon avoided the attack.

"Final Strikes!"

Engulfing his entire body in the bright light of his armor, ZekeGreymon charged at Dorbickmon.

"Block it with Burning the Dragon!" the drake heard me yell. Using the technique, he jumped away just as a huge boulder appeared out of the ground. ZekeGreymon crashed into the stone, using his attack on it. It gave Dorbickmon an opening and he slammed into the cyborg, hitting him onto the floor.

"ZekeGreymon!" Kiriha yelled. The cyborg rose to his feet.

"I'm fine Kiriha..." he muttered, glaring at Dorbickmon.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

ZekeGreymon avoided the drake's attack and went in for a body slam. Dorbickmon grabbed him by the shoulders, and was pushed back by the cyborg's strength. The two struggled, and neither one of them wanted to lose. ZekeGreymon smirked, and pushed Dorbickmon away, firing Zeke Flame in point-blank range. The attack pushed Dorbickmon away, injuring his arm.

"Damn...we've got to be fast." I clenched my fist, "Dorbickmon, surround him with Burning The Dragon!"

He did as ordered, and when ZekeGreymon landed on the ground, a group of stones rose up from the ground.

"A tactic like that won't work against us!" Kiriha exclaimed. ZekeGreymon started spinning around, unaware that it was all part of the plan.

"Go, Dorbickmon!"

The drake soared at ZekeGreymon.

"Destroy Smash-!"

Before the cyborg could fire his attack, Kiriha was surprised to see Dorbickmon grabbing ZekeGreymon by the tail. It stopped the cyborg from charging up his attack.

"What?!" the boy shouted.

"There's a small four second window that leaves ZekeGreymon completely vulnerable!" he heard me exclaim. Dorbickmon sneered, and despite the pain, started spinning the cyborg around, slamming him into each of the stones. The cyborg roared in pain. Dorbickmon threw him into the side of a mountain nearby.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" the dragon roared. He fired attack after attack, each one hitting ZekeGreymon, as the rubble fell on the cyborg.

Back in the tournament grounds, the spectators cheered.

"His plan worked!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. Dorumon was drawn into the battle.

_The battle's heating up...but can they win...?_ he thought. ZekeGreymon jumped out of the rubble, taking to the skies.

"Hyper Launcher!"

He fired a huge energy shot from the blaster on his right hand. Dorbickmon avoided the attack. The blast hit the ground, causing a huge explosion that blinded us. When the light faded, there was a small crater where the attack hit. The cyborg soared at Dorbickmon, who tried to shoot him out of the sky with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire.

"Trident Fang!" the cyborg roared. Dorbickmon jumped away from the cyborg, who hit the ground as a result, causing a tremor. Dorbickmon landed next to me. He looked tired, hidden in all that seriousness. ZekeGreymon glared at him.

"It's time we get serious." Kiriha crossed his arms. ZekeGreymon started charging the gun on his right arm.

"We won't give up Kiriha!" I yelled. Dorbickmon started charging the cannons on his chest. The two glared each other down.

"ATTACK!" we ordered the two.

"Plasma Railgun!"

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

ZekeGreymon fired his charged up attack, resulting in a huge blast of blue energy that continuously fired without reloading. Dorbickmon shot out two continuous bursts of flames, which combined together. The two attacks collided with each other, resulting in a fight in which both attacks tried to prevail. Both Dorbickmon and ZekeGreymon struggled to maintain their attacks from weakening, wasting a lot of energy.

"You fought well, but Dorbickmon won't prevail!" Kiriha yelled. ZekeGreymon amplified his attack twofold, pushing Dorbickmon back.

"You won't stop us. We WILL prove he deserves a second chance!" I yelled. Dorbickmon augmented his attack so that both were in stalemate again. Despite the danger me and Kiriha were in, we did not back down, and stayed next to our digimon partners no matter what. Everyone watching the battle in the coliseum cheered wildly, anxious to see who would prevail.

"Don't quit Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon roared. He, Ouryumon and the others joined the crowd in cheering. Back in the fight, Dorbickmon started faltering, but so did ZekeGreymon. The two were breathing heavily, but didn't quit. With a loud roar, they amplified their attacks to maximum power. The ground started cracking due to the enormous shock waves being sent out. One of them pushed Kiriha and I back due to it's force, but we didn't let that bring us down. We slowly made our way back towards the side of our digimon partners. The result of Dorbickmon and ZekeGreymon's struggle shocked everyone watching. Both attacks grinding at each other caused a huge blinding explosion. Due to how close we were, it engulfed all four of us in the light.

"Kid!" Slayerdramon yelled. All the spectators could see from the hologram was a huge thick cloud of smoke.

"Who is the winner..." Ouryumon muttered. Everyone waited to see when the smoke would clear and reveal the winner. They watched intently as the four of us came into view. When everything was clear, the result shocked everyone.

"I...don't believe it..." Slayerdramon stammered. Dorumon was shocked.

"The winner...it's...!"

* * *

Author's note: Phew, this was a tough fight to keep from getting boring. It was hard to keep a fight between only two digimon from getting stale. Also, the ending was totally written like that for cliffhanger reasons. Arc one ends next week.


	30. Chapter 29 (Finale Of Arc 1)

**Chapter 29: Never Give Up! Dorbickmon Vs ZekeGreymon Part 2**

"The winner isn't either one of them!" Dorumon exclaimed, "The match was a draw!"

Everyone was shocked to see Kiriha, myself, Dorbickmon and MetalGreymon on the floor unconscious.

"Get up kid!" Slayerdramon yelled. However it was useless to try and help.

"Don't bother." Ouryumon muttered, "He can't hear you. Our best option is for him and Dorbickmon to be the ones to stand up."

Slayerdramon clenched his fist. The crowd was silent. Taiki and Shoutmon watched from the arena.

_Come on you two..._ Shoutmon thought, _You don't give up that easily..._

It took a while, but everyone noticed us starting to wake up.

"Urgh..."

Groaning in pain, Kiriha and I rose to our feet. The damage given to us was minimal. A few cuts and bruises, and my sweater vest had rips on it, much like Kiriha's shirt, which was ripped near his arms. Both Dorbickmon and MetalGreymon were still down for the count though.

"Man...that was wicked..." I muttered. Despite our current situation, we couldn't help but exchange a smirk.

"So...does this mean the match is a draw...?"

Kiriha chuckled, "Heh, you know as well as I that if we let it end this way, MetalGreymon and Dorbickmon will never let it go..."

"Heh, so I guess that means..."

"We are going another round. For these two, there can only be one winner." Kiriha responded.

"Urgh..."

Both Dorbickmon and MetalGreymon groaned, but started waking up. They had taken the most damage from the explosion. Dorbickmon had many cuts on his body, mainly on his face and chest. MetalGreymon on the other hand, had cracks in his armor, and the visor in front of his eyes broke, revealing one of his red eyes. Both of them forced themselves to rise to their feet, breathing heavily.

"MetalGreymon, don't hold back against Dorbickmon this time." Kiriha ordered.

"I would never..." the cyborg growled at the drake.

"There's no way we will lose after getting this far!" they heard me yell.

"No way in hell..." Dorbickmon snarled. Both my Xros Loader and Kiriha's started emitting a gold light. Back in the tournament, everyone cheered.

"Go for it, Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon yelled.

"Don't hold anything back MetalGreymon!" Dracomon exclaimed. The crowd started chanting their names, taking a side. Shoutmon smiled, and started talking into a Hi-VisionMonitormon.

"Alright you two. This will determine it all! The rules still stand! Ready?"

We all nodded in agreement.

"Begin!" the king yelled. We raised our Xros Loaders in the air.

"MetalGreymon, Chou Shinka!"

"Dorbickmon, Xros Shinka!"

Both digimon were engulfed in two pillars of the gold light as they started to evolve.

"Chou Shinka, ZekeGreymon!" the cyborg roared.

"Xros Shinka, Dorbickmon Dragon Mode!" the drake bellowed. Both soared at each other as the two started their rematch.

"Trident Fang!" ZekeGreymon prepared the claw on his left hand. Dorbickmon avoided it and countered with a punch, but the cyborg dodged it. The two took to the skies, engaging in aerial combat.

"Destroy Smasher!" ZekeGreymon spun around and fired a barrage of energy blasts from the gun port on his tail. Dorbickmon countered with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, and landed on the ground. Using Burning the Dragon, a group of boulders rose from the ground. He threw one after the other in the air, heading towards the cyborg. ZekeGreymon avoided them all, and cut the last one to pieces with his Trident Fang.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon bellowed.

"Hyper Launcher!"

Dorbickmon shot out two bursts of fire from the cannons on his chest. ZekeGreymon fired a huge energy blast from the blaster on his right hand. Both attacks collided, creating a huge explosion. As the smoke cleared, the two soared at each other and exchanged a headbutt. Both snarled in pain, but kept up the attack. ZekeGreymon spun around and attacked with his tail. Dorbickmon however, caught the cyborg's attack, and started swinging ZekeGreymon around by his tail. He threw ZekeGreymon towards the ground, but the cyborg managed to flip himself over and land on his feet. He soared at Dorbickmon, and the two engaged in close combat. Their punches collided with each other every time, with neither one of them gaining the advantage. Back in the coliseum, Dorumon and the others watched the battle.

"That's incredible..." Dorumon noticed, "Both of them were exhausted a few moments ago...and now they're fighting without any sign of fatigue. Not only that, but both of them are evenly matched, avoiding each attack and providing a successful retaliation...this could end in either one's favor."

"Don't quit Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon cheered. He watched as Dorbickmon and ZekeGreymon exchanged blows to the face. The two fell back, but managed to land safely on the ground. Dorbickmon summoned his blade of flames and ZekeGreymon prepared his Trident Fang.

"Tyrant Collbrande!" Dorbickmon roared. ZekeGreymon blocked the sword with his claw, and retaliated with Zeke Flame. Dorbickmon jumped over the cyborg to avoid it, and attacked with his blade. The cyborg turned around and blocked it in time.

"Plasma Railgun!"

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

They both jumped away before the attacks made contact. Both of them landed away from each other, catching their breaths.

_ZekeGreymon's good..._ I thought, _He's blocking all of Dorbickmon's attacks with ease...but it looks like he's suffering from fatigue as well..._

Dorbickmon stabbed his blade into the ground. The flame it was emanating faded, and the sword disintegrated into nothing. ZekeGreymon watched him summon a much smaller blade, which fit in the dragon's palm. He clenched his fist, holding the blade inside. Flames started emanating from the blade, engulfing Dorbickmon's fist.

_Impressive..._ Kiriha thought, _Dorbickmon has found a way to utilize that attack differently. Now it looks as though he's imitating Apollomon's Phoebus Blow technique..._

Dorbickmon charged at ZekeGreymon, who prepared his claw.

"Tyrant Collbrande!" the drake bellowed.

"Trident Fang!" the cyborg roared. Both of their fists collided, blinding us in the explosion. We shielded our eyes. Both Dorbickmon and ZekeGreymon came out of the smoke. Dorbickmon landed a punch on ZekeGreymon's face, hitting the cyborg away. He chased after ZekeGreymon, grabbing him by the tail. He used all of his strength to slam the cyborg on the ground.

"ZekeGreymon!" Kiriha exclaimed. The digimon managed to rise to his feet. Dorbickmon landed in front of me.

"It's time we take the advantage!" Kiriha heard me yell. Dorbickmon slammed into the cyborg, hitting the digimon into a mountain nearby. Dorbickmon gave the cyborg no time to retaliate and repeatedly attacked with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire. Each blast caused rubble to fall on the cyborg, who held off Dorbickmon's attacks. Back in the coliseum, Dorumon watched the match, noticing Dorbickmon's exhaustion.

"They've got to finish it." he muttered, "Dorbickmon's starting to give in to his exhaustion."

"Damn..." Slayerdramon clenched his fist. Dorbickmon summoned his blade of flames again and started charging at ZekeGreymon, who stood up from under the rubble.

"Tyrant Collbrande!" Dorbickmon hit the cyborg with a horizontal swing of his sword. ZekeGreymon was hit away, crashing into the ground. Dorbickmon took a moment to catch his breath, and charged at the digimon again. He hit ZekeGreymon into the air with an uppercut. Dorbickmon took to the skies and slammed his blade into ZekeGreymon's stomach, knocking him back onto the ground.

"Damn it...!" Kiriha clenched his fist. Dorbickmon started charging up the cannons on his chest.

"It's time to settle this Kiriha!" I yelled, "The rivalry ends today!"

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" Dorbickmon shot out the accumulated energy at the cyborg. Both bursts of fire combined and homed in on the target. ZekeGreymon however, simply glared as the attack hit dead on.

"Did they win...?!" Slayerdramon muttered, watching the match back in the coliseum. The smoke showed no sign of clearing. Dorbickmon landed on the ground. Most of his energy was drained, and he kneeled down in exhaustion.

"It's over..." he heard me mutter.

"Is it...?" Kiriha looked at me.

"What...?"

The smoke started clearing and we all saw ZekeGreymon still standing, emanating the light of the Gold DigiZoid. It surprised us all.

"What?!" Slayerdramon exclaimed.

"Damn...he must have activated it right before impact!" Dorumon yelled. Dorbickmon struggled to stand, exhausted from his last attack.

"Damn...it..." he growled.

"Dorbickmon's gotten stronger." Kiriha noticed, "But that won't help him win. ZekeGreymon, it's time to fight back!"

The cyborg charged at the dragon. Dorbickmon jumped away to avoid him, but he was hit in the back when ZekeGreymon turned around and fired his Plasma Railgun. The drake yelled in pain, but managed to stay on his feet. He attacked with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, but due to his fatigue, the attack was weakened and it had no effect on the cyborg.

"Damn...Dorbickmon's too exhausted...!" I gritted my teeth, "Hang in there...!"

Dorbickmon's eye flashed, causing a group of stones to surround the cyborg. Clenching his fist, the boulders lunged at ZekeGreymon and crushed the cyborg. However upon contact, the stones broke into pieces, revealing that ZekeGreymon had received no damage.

"Damn it...!" Dorbickmon breathed heavily. He started to cave into his exhaustion, slouching over in fatigue.

ZekeGreymon took this to his advantage, and hit the drake in the snout with a powerful swing of his tail. Dorbickmon nearly fell back, but managed to retain his balance. The attack had dazed him, and he found it difficult to keep his balance. ZekeGreymon started approaching him.

"It's over." Kiriha told me, "Dorbickmon has lost."

ZekeGreymon prepared his Trident Fang. Slayerdramon and the others watched in shock.

"Get out of the way Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon yelled. It was no good since Dorbickmon couldn't hear him. The dragon was too tired to avoid the attack. ZekeGreymon hit the dragon with a powerful uppercut to his lower jaw. Dorbickmon was hit in the air, but managed to land on his feet. He stumbled back towards me. He was unable to withstand the attack, and fell back on the floor in front of me, reverting to his normal form. Dorbickmon was down for the count.

"D-Dorbickmon!" his loss surprised me, "Get up! You have to!"

Despite calling him, he wasn't answering, and the clock was ticking. He only had three minutes to stand up before Kiriha won.

"Don't bother, he's too exhausted to fight." Kiriha told me. We noticed ZekeGreymon breathing heavily as well. The aura emanating around him started faltering.

_Is that aura using up his energy...?_ the thought came into mind. It looked as though it was all over.

"Dorbickmon..." my attention turned to the drake, but I noticed something, "Hm?"

Despite being down for the count, he was clutching the ground, digging his claws into the earth.

_He's still able to fight!_

"You fought well, but you both still lost." Kiriha told me. He noticed me smirking.

"No, we haven't lost yet!"

"He's crazy..." Ouryumon muttered, as they watched the timer pass two minutes.

"Don't be an idiot!" Kiriha yelled, "He has no energy left!"

"That may be, but as long as you're his opponent, he will always stand up! No matter what!"

"Then prove it!" Kiriha exclaimed.

"With pleasure!" my attention turned to Dorbickmon, "Dorbickmon, get up! You're not gonna let him win are you?!"

Slayerdramon watched from the tournament grounds, astonished.

"He wouldn't..." the drake muttered. Everyone watched intently, and were all surprised to see Dorbickmon slowly rising to his feet.

"He is?!" Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock. Dorbickmon was breathing heavily, but the look in his eyes showed that he was not about to lose again. He managed to stand up 15 seconds before the three minute countdown ended. Everyone cheered for him at the coliseum.

"I'll strive to get Dorbickmon a second chance! That means proving it to you, Kiriha!"

My Xros Loader started emitting a gold light one last time.

"Dorbickmon, Xros Shinka!"

The pillar of light engulfed him again. Everyone watched him digivolve. Despite that, he still retained his damage and exhaustion from before.

"Dorbickmon's running on adrenaline..." Dorumon muttered, "Let's hope it's enough..."

ZekeGreymon soared at him. The cyborg attacked with Trident Fang, but Dorbickmon took to the skies to avoid it. The cyborg's aura was glowing in irregular patterns, giving us a small opening to damage ZekeGreymon.

"Plasma Railgun!" the cyborg fired a blast of blue energy at Dorbickmon, who avoided it and started charging his cannons. ZekeGreymon charged at him, ready to knock Dorbickmon towards the ground. However, it only helped us with his attack.

"Now Dorbickmon!" I ordered.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Dorbickmon fired off his attack, hitting ZekeGreymon when his aura wasn't protecting him. The cyborg roared in pain and collided with the ground.

"It's working!" Dorumon exclaimed. He was on the edge of his seat. ZekeGreymon appeared from the smoke. The cyborg growled, but it was noticeable that his energy has reached its limit.

"It's time to settle this, once and for all!" Kiriha and I yelled. Dorbickmon prepared himself for ZekeGreymon's next attack.

"Hyper Launcher!" the cyborg shot out a huge energy blast from the blaster on his right hand. Dorbickmon avoided it and landed on the ground next to me. ZekeGreymon let his armor radiate it's aura, but it was very faint and was glowing in irregular patterns since he was running low on energy. He charged at Dorbickmon.

"Final Strikes!" the cyborg roared. He used all of his energy for this last attack. It looked like Dorbickmon wasn't going to avoid it. However, his eye flashed as ZekeGreymon closed in. The cyborg's attack caused a huge dust cloud to form, blinding everyone's sight from the result. It started to clear, shocking everyone when they noticed ZekeGreymon missed, and hit a huge stone bigger than he was. His arm and claw had gotten stuck inside, and Dorbickmon was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd he go?!" Kiriha looked around for the drake. My attention turned towards the sky, and he followed. Dorbickmon was in the air, sword in hand.

"Now's your chance! His aura's gone!" Dorbickmon heard me yell. He soared at the cyborg. The dragon summoned every inch of strength and fury he had, and in turn his sword grew to twice his size. ZekeGreymon struggled to get his hand free to avoid the attack, but he was too low on energy to even retaliate.

"Tyrant Collbrande!" Dorbickmon roared. He hit the cyborg's back dead on with his sword, causing ZekeGreymon to roar in pain. The collision slammed the cyborg onto the ground. Dorbickmon landed a few feet away from him. His blade cut the huge stone in half, and it fell toward the ground. The cyborg freed his hand and turned around slowly to face Dorbickmon. He took a few steps towards the dragon, but it didn't last long. ZekeGreymon dropped to one knee, and reverted back into MetalGreymon, losing consciousness.

"MetalGreymon!" Kiriha exclaimed. It was a grueling wait, but after three minutes, it was all settled.

"We...won..." the result shocked even me. It took a few moments, but a smile appeared on my face.

"We won!"

Back in the coliseum, everyone exploded in cheers. Dorumon, Slayerdramon and the others were surprised as well.

"Amazing match!" Slayerdramon exclaimed. Back in the field, Kiriha was shocked as well. He walked over to the cyborg.

"ZekeGreymon was defeated..." he muttered. Kiriha glanced at me for a second, and noticed me breathing heavily.

"It's...over..." I muttered. The damage done by the huge struggle from before caught up to me, causing me to collapse, unconscious. Kiriha turned to Dorbickmon, who despite his adrenaline inside, reverted to his normal form and collapsed in front of the boy, passing out as well. Kiriha noticed Dorbickmon's injuries were more serious than MetalGreymon's.

"These two..." he muttered. Despite being old enemies with Dorbickmon, he couldn't help but give him a slight smile. Everyone watched him reload Deckerdramon while MetalGreymon regained consciousness. On the boy's command, the cyborg placed Dorbickmon and myself on Deckerdramon's back. The four Hi-VisionMonitormon that provided the battle feed appeared around them. Using his Xros Loader, Kiriha opened the gate of light and they all traveled back to the tournament grounds, taking both of us with them.

Waking up from unconsciousness, Slayerdramon and Dorumon were glancing at me.

"Hey..." Slayerdramon smiled.

"What...happened...?"

"You and Dorbickmon passed out after winning." Dorumon explained. Looking around, I noticed that we were back in the coliseum.

"H...how did we get back here...?"

"Kiriha brought you back here." Slayerdramon explained, surprising me.

"Kiriha...?" my eyes winced. The drake nodded in response. They watched me stand up.

"Taiki and Shoutmon are waiting for you and Dorbickmon in the arena." Dorumon told me. On that note, they followed me back towards the arena. They headed towards the spectators area after we split up. In the arena, the sound of everyone chanting Dorbickmon's name echoed in the coliseum. Reloading him out of my Xros Loader, he was barely able to stand, still exhausted. Taiki and Shoutmon were in the center of the arena waiting for me.

"You're awake!" Shoutmon smiled. My attention turned to Taiki.

"Congratulations." he congratulated me, "You've gone through a lot to get here. You've shown us all that Dorbickmon has changed in his ways, if even slightly."

"Thanks Taiki...it means a lot."

"You've proved yourselves in competing in this event. I think it's best you take care of this." he told me. In his hands was a Digi-Egg. When he was about to hand it to me, it started moving, and hatched in his hands, surprising the three of us. Taiki was now holding a red digimon with black eyes. It resembled a slime similar to Chibomon. The only difference was that he had two small red dragon wings on his head to work like ears. Taiki smiled.

"Take good care of Jyarimon." he glanced at me.

"I will Taiki."

He left the digimon in my possession and we shook hands, causing the crowd to cheer for us.

"Oh!" Taiki remembered, "I nearly forgot. Kiriha wanted me to tell you something."

"What is it?" I asked. Taiki gave me a thumbs-up, and relayed the message

_Good work. You've proven that Dorbickmon's started to open himself up to others. If the occasion ever arises, then maybe someday we can work together instead of against each other..._ Taiki quoted the boy. "That was his message."

The message made me smile. It looked like Kiriha has also changed his opinion on Dorbickmon.

"If you see him, tell him I'll be looking forward to it."

On that note, the rivalry between Kiriha and myself came to a close, and Taiki, Shoutmon and myself parted ways. Near the entrance to the coliseum, Slayerdramon and the others were waiting for me, and we decided to stay and get a bite to eat. Storing Dorbickmon into the Xros Loader to rest, Toucanmon was still here, so we walked up to him and he gave us all a free meal as a treat for winning. Everyone was chowing down. Dorbickmon on the other hand, was recovering from his battle. It had left him sore and exhausted, so he didn't come out to eat. Jyarimon was on the table in front of me. He was eating as well, and after he finished, the small digimon was emanating a bright light.

"He's digivolving!" Dorumon smiled. Jyarimon was now slightly bigger, and was now a quadruped. He had four stubby legs and a white stomach and underbelly. He developed a small tail that was black near the tip. There was also a black marking under his eyes, which were now yellow. He still retained his wing-like ears from before.

"It's a Gigimon." Dracomon told us. It looked at me.

"Hey there pal..."

"He looks adorable!" Dorumon smiled. The next thing we knew, Gigimon had jumped on my head and started nibbling it, causing the others to laugh.

"He looks cute eating your head like that!" Slayerdramon chuckled. It simply continued nibbling my head even after we finished eating. Storing Slayerdramon into my Xros Loader, Rob, Dracomon, Dorumon and myself climbed onto Ouryumon's head. Waving good-bye at MachGaogamon, RizeGreymon and his brothers, the serpent took to the skies. After months of training for this event, it was finally time to get a well deserved rest. After a few moments of travel, I finally grabbed Gigimon and stopped him from nibbling on my head. He sat in my arms. Dorumon glanced at me.

"So...when Dorbickmon was about to hit you...how did you stay so composed...?" Dorumon asked.

"I'd like to know that as well." Ouryumon looked up at us.

"I honestly don't know..." they heard me respond, "It was grueling to wait and see how that scene would unfold. The result of his anger could've gone either way. However, I was relieved when he decided to listen to me."

"You think he will start listening to you from now on?" Rob asked.

"Heh, no. Not yet. However, I think he'll open up to us in due time."

"Right..." Dracomon nodded.

"For now, we should all rest up. It's been a long day."

"Sounds good." they nodded. Ouryumon sped up and headed towards Dragon Land. The sun started setting, making me smile.

_Hopefully...this will be one step in earning Dorbickmon's respect.  
_

* * *

Author's note: Phew. It's been a long time, but the first arc ends. I'll start posting Arc two in three weeks. I've got a few things to work out. In the meantime, I have revised all the other chapters, correcting errors in grammar, a continuity and even adding small tidbits into other chapters. So in the meantime, reread those to keep the mind fresh for when Arc two begins. Arc 2 will be about the details covered in chapter 25. And also as a question, what was your favorite chapter from Arc 1? Any favorite characters? Moments? How did Arc One come together as a whole?


	31. Chapter 30 (Beginning of Arc 2)

Author's Note: Phew, finally. Arc Two begins. This arc will deal with things that were started in Arc One that were never explained in that Arc, as well as the overall plot that was revealed in Chapter 25. It also will deal with putting all these bonds that the characters have made to the actual test. Also, Arc Two has a subtitle. It's, "The Hunt for the Seven Keys." With that aside, let's start!

* * *

**Chapter 30: The Destructive Monster, Millenniumon**

Amidst the dark castle enshrouded by darkness, DarkKnightmon looked out of a nearby castle window, contemplating how he would carry out the next part of his plan. Despite constant interferences by Dorbickmon and the others, his plans have been going smoothly. However, he knew that if he started hunting the Death Generals, he wouldn't get far if Dorbickmon, and especially Xros Heart, got in the way. Thinking of a plan, he turned around.

"MaloMyotismon, I summon you!" he called out. The behemoth appeared amidst the darkness and kneeled before the knight.

"What is your command, my liege?" he asked the knight.

"What's your current status on collecting dark energy?" the knight asked him.

"It's going well..." MaloMyotismon smirked, "We are more than halfway done with the amount needed."

"I see..." DarkKnightmon turned around, "Good... it's almost time to start hunting the Death Generals to acquire the keys they hold inside that open ExoGrimmon's cage...however there's the matter that Dorbickmon, and especially Xros Heart, will get in the way..."

"Then what is your plan, my lord...?" MaloMyotismon asked.

"...do you remember, before that tournament started, when we traveled around the Seven Kingdoms recruiting the most sinister of Digimon to join us in our plan...?"

"I do..." MaloMyotismon smirked.

"...do you also remember the rampaging beast we hunted as the last to join our group?" DarkKnightmon smirked.

"Millenniumon...?" MaloMyotismon's face widened with surprise, but it faded into an evil smile. "I do...but you told us yourself, that beast was a lost cause. We couldn't tame it in time. It's rotting in the cells in this castle as we speak...if you were to release him, then he'd wreak havoc on the whole Digital World, and could even commit massive genocide..."

"If he does, then it won't matter. All he needs to do is annihilate Dorbickmon and his little friends...preferably before that miserable little Shoutmon and his team finds out..." DarkKnightmon growled. MaloMyotismon nodded.

"If that is your command, then it will be carried out..." the behemoth muttered, leaving the knight alone. Near the bottom of the castle, MaloMyotismon walked through the rotten, worn out prison cells in the castle. They were situated next to many old instruments of torture: blades, swords, maces and many others. He walked over to a huge cage, where the sound of a beast growling was heard. The darkness covered the monster's identity. He was held to the wall by chains that were emanating dark energy that it sucked out of the beast. MaloMyotismon opened the cell and stepped inside. He cut the beast free from his chains, approaching the monster.

"Alright, listen you overgrown bastard..." MaloMyotismon taunted it, "If you want to get out of this cage and be more than just fuel for the dark energy we're collecting, then you'll do what DarkKnightmon orders. And he wants you to kill Dorbickmon the Fire-Fury, and any other of his friends...do you understand...?"

The beast growled louder. It opened its crimson colored eyes, and bellowed loudly, flying out of the cage. It escaped out of the castle by crashing through the wall, and disappeared into the darkness that covered the area.

"And you better not screw it up..." MaloMyotismon growled, walking out of the cage.

* * *

Five days have passed since the tournament finals, and things around the Digital World have calmed down. Dorbickmon has gone back to training alone in some undisclosed location he doesn't tell anyone, but no one objected to it. He deserved some time to himself after he battled it out with ZekeGreymon, and many other strong opponents. Walking out of the front doors of Dorbickmon's Castle with Slayerdramon and Ouryumon following, we noticed Rob climbing onto Wingdramon's hand, who placed him on his shoulder.

"Going somewhere?" I asked the two.

"Shoutmon asked if we could go help him in the castle." Rob explained.

"He told us that it'd take a while, so we'll be gone for a few days." Wingdramon added.

"Alright. Well, good luck. Tell him we said 'hi'."

Both of them nodded, and Wingdramon took to the skies. We watched the two go, disappearing into the horizon in a few minutes. The moment was interrupted when something tackled me down from behind.

"Gah!" the event surprised me. Looking at the culprit, it resembled a familiar Dorumon, who was nudging me.

"Caught you!" he smiled as if he was playing around.

"Dorumon?!"

"It's not Dorumon anymore!" he happily responded. Glancing at him, his appearance had changed. He was bigger, but still not as tall as me, and his fur was now dark purple with many black stripes covering that fur. His eyes were still yellow, and the patches of white fur on his face, mouth, hands and feet were still present. His claws grew out, developing a bright red color, and his ears had become pointy. The digimon's tail was now more balanced with his body, and his wings grew out, becoming the same color as his purple and black fur, but with white fur on the inside.

"It's Dorugamon now!" he moved off, allowing me to stand up. "Wingdramon was helping me become stronger these past few days, and I digivolved because of it!"

"That's great Dorumon...just try not to tackle me over so much...you could break something inside me..."

Dorugamon smiled, and nudged my neck. Petting his head, he growled happily. Slayerdramon and Ouryumon smiled at the sight, but the moment quickly faded when an explosion occurred.

"What the-?!" Slayerdramon looked over. Outside the valley, near the mountain range separating Dragon Land and Vampire Land, smoke was rising out of the horizon. Reloading Paildramon, the dragon placed me on his shoulder and took to the skies, with Ouryumon and Dorugamon following. Forgetting to store Slayerdramon in the Xros Loader, he had to follow us on foot. However due to the terrain, we separated from him almost instantly.

"What was that...?" I muttered. My Xros Loader gave off another light, and a bipedal red dragon appeared next to me. He had a white chest and belly, with the sign of a hazard on his chest, feet, shoulders, forearm and on top of his snout. It was the same one that Megidramon had when he fought Dorbickmon a few months ago, concluding that this dragon was part of that same species. He had three claws on his hands, and two on his feet, with a dewclaw on the back of his foot. He had small red wings for ears on his head, a long tail, and yellow eyes with black markings under them. The digimon also had some black rings on his legs, arms, shoulders neck and a big one on his tail, that contained yellow letters written in DigiCode on them.

"Guilmon? What's wrong?" he heard me ask. Guilmon was Gigimon's next digivolved form. Thanks to Slayerdramon and Ouryumon, Gigimon was able to digivolve quickly due to the small training they set up for him. Guilmon started sniffing the air, and snarled viciously. It was a sign that the digimon who was behind the explosion was a strong one.

"I see..." my attention turned to Dorugamon and Ouryumon. "Guilmon senses a strong digimon behind this. Be on your guard."

Both of them nodded, and Guilmon went back into my Xros Loader. Ouryumon took out his swords for battle as we approached Vampire Land. The beast soon came into view. It had four black arms with belts on the forearm, similar to Devidramon. Its body was composed of very dark black scales, with orange scales on its chest, face and stomach. From his groin down, the beast was covered in dark blue fur The beast had orange stripes on its legs. It wielded two huge silver cannons on its back, and its head resembled that of a gray beetle's, with a horn on top of its snout. Along with its dark blue hair, what stood out the most was that on its back, under the cannons, was a yellow and faint blue aura in the shape of a dragon. The beast was blasting away at the land, roaring.

"What...is that...?" my eyes widened with shock at the beast. Ouryumon didn't turn to look at us, but he responded with a snarl.

"Millenniumon..."

"Millenniumon...?!" Dorugamon was surprised, "But I thought that digimon was so rare it was believed to just be a myth!"

"I thought that as well..." Ouryumon turned to us, "Whatever the reason, that digimon is deadly. Dorugamon, I'd recommend staying out of this fight. He's way too strong for you right now."

"Ok...be careful." Dorugamon responded. He went into my Xros Loader, and Paildramon readied himself for battle.

"I'll attack from the front. You two attack from behind." Ouryumon told us the plan. Paildramon nodded in agreement. The Millenniumon turned around, noticing us. It roared and charged the cannons it wielded. It fired two beams of energy at us. Paildramon avoided the attack and circled around the beast. Ouryumon soared up to the beast and punched it in the face. Millenniumon roared in pain, flinching and giving Paildramon an opening.

"Electric Bolt!"

Paildramon charged up a bolt of electricity in his hand and shot it at Millenniumon, hitting the beast's back. Ouryumon took the advantage and attacked with Eiseiryūoujin. The beast roared in pain, flinching. In a rage, the behemoth turned around and headed straight towards Paildramon. It started charging up the cannons on its back.

"No...!" Ouryumon chased after him.

"Desperado Blaster!"

Paildramon hit the beast with multiple energy bullets from the blasters around his waist. Millenniumon was not affected as he grabbed Paildramon with his four arms. The beast attempted to crush the dragon, as it fired the streams of energy it was charging up. Ouryumon rushed towards us and before the attack hit, slithered in front of us and was hit full force with the attack. He yelled in pain.

"Ouryumon!" my eyes widened with shock. The serpent fell towards one of the huge cliffs in Vampire Land. Paildramon managed to use Sting Strike and damage Millenniumon in the eye. The beast flinched, loosening its grip on Paildramon, who managed to escape and chase after the falling Ouryumon. He managed to catch up to the serpent and grab him. The two were sliding back, as Paildramon tried to stop him from falling off the cliff side. Unfortunately, they were moving too fast and fell off into the deep, almost abyss-like drop. Using the momentum as they fell, Paildramon at least managed to turn the serpent so that they didn't crash head first into the bottom of the cliff. Both of them landed, and were sliding to a halt. The momentum caused Paildramon to crash into some of the huge rubble around us, hitting him in the back and wearing him down. When they managed to come to a complete stop, Paildramon let go of the serpent, breathing heavily. He used more energy than he had thought to save the serpent.

"Ouryumon! Are you alright?" I called out to the serpent. He didn't respond, and his injuries looked serious. Paildramon checked his pulse.

"He is merely unconscious..." Paildramon told me. It was a huge relief.

"Good..."

Examining his injuries, Ouryumon's most severe one was to his back and wings. The blast had teared through his gold scales, and the injury was bleeding. Storing him into the Xros Loader to heal, Dorugamon came out of the device.

"Is he going to be ok?" Dorugamon asked.

"I don't know..."

The whole terrain around us was composed of jagged rocks and unstable terrain. Glancing up, we could see Millenniumon trying to find us. It looked back and forth, but we were too far away to be spotted. Using this to our advantage, we hid behind the rocks and searched for a safe place to hide. While we were busy, Slayerdramon had arrived in Vampire Land. He looked around, but saw no sign of us.

"Damn it...they couldn't have gotten too far..." he muttered, "He should have waited for me to get into the Xros Loader before heading out like that..."

Walking around, he searched the dead woods that Vampire Land contained, but his results ended with nothing that could lead him to our location. He nearly gave up, until he heard the roar of a beast. Slayerdramon noticed Millenniumon high up in the sky, searching for someone. Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock.

"Millenniumon?!" he exclaimed, "I thought all of those rumors of him were just pure myths..."

He hid behind a few trees so he wouldn't be spotted.

"This is bad...if he was the cause of that explosion, then the others could be in big trouble..." he muttered, "I could chase after him, but even with all my strength, I'm no match for him if all those rumors are true..."

He pondered a way to go about this. Each minute that passed, he only worried about what became of us. When he figured out a plan, Slayerdramon started heading back to Dragon Land in a hurry.

"I'm going to need Dorbickmon's help, and any others who can help me fight Millenniumon..." he muttered, running out of the woods. "Kid...if you're out there somewhere...then don't do anything rash. Please, just stay safe until I get back..."

* * *

Searching around the cliffs of Vampire Land, we found a small cave on the cliff side that was big enough for Paildramon to walk inside. We entered the cave for shelter. There wasn't anything of interest inside, only a few stalactites on the roof and some coming out of the ground.

"We'll hide out here until it's safe to get out." I told Dorugamon and Paildramon, "If we try to go back to Dragon Land, then he could spot us and follow. He could cause massive damage over there. At least here, there aren't any digimon inhabiting the caves."

Both of them nodded in agreement. Paildramon sat down on the floor with his back resting on the cave wall. He closed his eyes to rest for a bit. Dorugamon walked up to me.

"How is Ouryumon doing...?" he asked. Glancing at the Xros Loader, there was no sign of the serpent waking up anytime soon, which was bad. If Millenniumon found us, then Paildramon wouldn't stand a chance. Even with Dorugamon and Guilmon, who is able to at least digivolve one more time thanks to Slayerdramon and Ouryumon's training, Millenniumon is far too powerful for them. DigiXrossing the three could buy us some time, but there's no guarantee that we'd be able to beat him. It was difficult to think of a strategy that didn't involve Shoutmon and Taiki getting involved, but another voice in the cave caught our attention.

"So...another has fallen victim to Millenniumon..." we heard it mutter. Paildramon woke up, and jumped in front of us, extending spike on top of his gauntlet into a lance in the case of a battle.

"Who said that...?" Dorugamon asked. Cautiously walking deeper into the cave, we saw another digimon, severely injured on the ground. We ran over to the being. The digimon's body was similar to a horse, but his head and neck was more of a dragon's. He had a wolf's nose, and his face was mainly a jade green color with a small yellow line running across the bottom of his upper jaw. His ears were green, and his brows extended out to resemble horns on his head, much like the one on his forehead that was red. His lower jaw was covered by white fur that combed around to the back of his head, where it was red on the upper half. It was styled to resemble a flower bud. His neck was composed of light aquamarine scales in the front with the back and sides being green. The armor he wore on his body was the same jade green color as his head, with yellow patterns around the outside, giving him a regal appearance. Two red jewels were adorned on the breastplate, with two others on both hind legs. Two green spikes protruded out of the back of the armor that held the jewels in place. Out of those spikes protruded two yellow spikes, where his white spiky wings came out of. His legs were covered in cream colored clothing, and his hooves had a golden ring around them, which was shaped like thunder near the back, and adorned with white armor resembling clouds. He wore dark gray shin guards, and his gold tail was long and curly. He had purple eyes, and a thin, long mustache on his face that resembled blue lightning. His regal appearance was ruined by the battle damage he had. His armor was broken in various places, his wings were ripped near the center, and he had many cuts and bruises on his body. We ran over to try and help him.

"You were attacked by Millenniumon as well..." Dorugamon muttered.

"Yes..." the digimon responded quietly.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Ch...Chirinmon..." he glanced at us, "That beast appeared last night. It caught me off guard while I was going for a nightly stroll around the Digital World. I'm usually swift and can make it back without worry...but this time I let my guard down when I took a rest in Dragon Land for some water..."

The three of us remained silent. Paildramon and Dorugamon helped Chirinmon stand up, however it looked like he was pretty low on energy.

"Were you traveling alone?" Dorugamon asked.

"No...I was traveling with some friends of mine near Bright Land...they knew I always go out for nightly strolls, but by now they must be searching the Seven Kingdoms to find me..."

"Chirinmon..." the look on his face saddened me. "Don't worry about Millenniumon. We'll take care of him."

He quickly looked at me, surprised. "That's crazy..." he muttered, "The beast knows no mercy!"

"We've fought opponents like that before. Even if we don't win, we'll at least try to subdue him. You just focus on getting back to your friends..."

"You three are very brave to try and fight that behemoth..." Chirinmon told us, "I might not have the strength to fight and help you...but I can at least tell you this; beware of his abilities. If he traps you in one, then it'll be over, no matter what happens..."

"Thank you, Chirinmon..." Dorugamon told him. Chirinmon looked over at him.

"This may be a strange thought...but it feels as if I know you from somewhere..." Chirinmon told him. Guilmon reloaded out of my Xros Loader, looking at the digimon. Chirinmon turned to look at him and Paildramon.

"The same goes for the both of you...I don't know why that is..." he told the two. Dorugamon and the others stayed silent. The look on their faces seem to suggest the same thing. It was a strange thought though. Neither of them had met Chirinmon until now.

"...oh well." Chirinmon glanced at me, "No reason to sit here wondering the illogical."

He managed to stand on his feet, showing that he's gained some of his energy back. Paildramon let him go, and Chirinmon slowly walked towards the cave exit. He checked outside, then turned to us.

"The beast is gone." he muttered, "I'm going back to find my friends. I suggest you escape as well before he returns..."

"Good luck Chirinmon..." Dorugamon told him.

"I wish the same to you." he nodded, "Thank you for helping me."

"Be careful."

On that note, Chirinmon took flight and left us. Dorugamon stayed silent.

"We have to leave Dorugamon..." I told him. He looked back at me.

"...right."

We walked outside the cave. Paildramon kneeled down, and we climbed onto his hand. Guilmon and Dorugamon went into my Xros Loader while Paildramon placed me on his shoulder. Stretching his wings, Paildramon took to the skies and started to fly out of the area.

"Millenniumon could have gone anywhere...we need to find him before the damage gets catastrophic. We have to beat him before it becomes Xros Heart's problem..."

Paildramon nodded in agreement. He soared towards Honey Land to start tracking the beast.

"What about Slayerdramon?" Dorugamon asked me, "He was following us when we first saw the smoke..."

Looking into the Xros Loader's screen, Dorugamon saw me nod.

"Chances are, Slayerdramon has assumed the worst and is out hunting the beast down right now. If we find Millenniumon, then we will find Slayerdramon."

"Ok..." Dorugamon nodded.

Millenniumon on the other hand, had traveled all the way to Canyon Land, flying around the barren canyon, looking for its next prey. While it was busy, Slayerdramon managed to find some help, as they chased down the beast.

"Thanks for the help." he told a familiar RizeGreymon and MachGaogamon. Both of them nodded in response.

"A Millenniumon running amok would cause disastrous damage." MachGaogamon responded. RizeGreymon looked at Slayerdramon.

"Where's Dorbickmon?" he asked.

"I'm not sure...but I got someone to send him the message." Slayerdramon responded, "We'll have to do whatever we can to stall Millenniumon until help arrives."

"What about Shoutmon and Xros Heart?" MachGaogamon added.

"They already have enough work trying to run the whole Digital World. We have to try and beat it by ourselves before having them get involved." Slayerdramon answered. The three of them arrived at their location, seeing the huge beast before them.

"There he is..."

The beast turned around, spotting the three. It growled at them.

"Be careful." Slayerdramon warned, "There's no telling what he's capable of, or what he did to the others..."

MachGaogamon and RizeGreymon nodded in understanding. Millenniumon roared and fired two streams of energy from the cannons it wielded. The three of them avoided the attack. RizeGreymon prepared his attack.

"Trident Revolver!" he fired three blasters from the revolver on his left arm. He was pushed back because of the huge recoil from the gun. Millenniumon blocked the attack with his arms. MachGaogamon charged at the beast from behind.

"Winning Knuckle!"

The metal glove on his hand started spinning around rapidly as he hit Millenniumon with a powerful left hook. The beast was knocked away. Slayerdramon grabbed his Fragarach.

"Shoryūzanpa!"

Swinging his blade horizontally, he fired an energy wave that hit the beast's leg. Millenniumon roared in pain. It glared at Slayerdramon. Millenniumon charged at Slayerdramon, and tried to grab the drake. Slayerdramon moved away to avoid the beast and hit him again with Shoryūzanpa. Millenniumon cried out in pain again.

"Rising Destroyer!" RizeGreymon bellowed. A small port opened up from the armor on his chest, revealing two gun ports. They, along with the gun ports on his metal wings, charged up and fired bursts of orange energy. They hit Millenniumon's back. The beast kneeled down in pain. MachGaogamon flew towards the ground. Using his momentum, he stomped the floor and used his foot to jump forward and increase his speed.

"Gaoga Tornade!"

He spun around the beast at such a high velocity that it engulfed the beast in a huge tornado. MachGaogamon assaulted the beast with many rapid and powerful blows to its body. He finished the assault with a powerful uppercut, knocking the beast in the air. Slayerdramon knocked Millenniumon back down with another Shoryūzanpa, and RizeGreymon followed up with another Trident Revolver. The beast fell back towards the ground, snarling in pain. It appeared as if they had won.

"Alright..." Slayerdramon sighed in relief, "Let's finish this."

They approached the beast. Millenniumon surprised them by quickly standing up and catching them off guard.

"Time Unlimited!" it roared. The way he snarled and growled showed that it had not developed a clear voice. A black orb was fired from his mouth, trapping the three digimon. They felt immobilized, as if they were in a dimension where time itself had stopped.

"Can't...move...!" RizeGreymon growled. Millenniumon roared.

"Dimension Destroyer!"

The orb incarcerating Slayerdramon and the other two flashed brightly, causing a huge blinding explosion. The three of them roared in pain. When the light faded, they revealed to have sustained heavy damage by the attack. The armor RizeGreymon and Slayerdramon were wearing had many cracks in them. The belt MachGaogamon wore diagonally around his midsection managed to protect him from severe damage, but he had sustained many burns on his arms and legs. The metal armor on his feet and his metal gloves looked very dark, since the metal itself was burned. They struggled to stand, groaning in pain.  
"Such...power..." Slayerdramon muttered, cringing in pain as he stood up straight. "I didn't think one attack could do so much damage..."

Millenniumon glared at them, as did the aura of a dragon it was emanating. It started to charge up the cannons on its back. He was about to fire when he was hit in the face with two bursts of fire from a familiar crimson drake, who landed in front of Slayerdramon.

"Dorbickmon..." Slayerdramon muttered. The drake stood in front of them. Millenniumon glanced at the drake, and his eyes were filled with anger at the name.

_If you want to get out of this cage and be more than just fuel for the dark energy we're collecting, then you'll do what DarkKnightmon orders. And he wants you to kill Dorbickmon the Fire-Fury, and any other of his friends..._

The words MaloMyotismon told Millenniumon circulated in its brain, as it roared loudly. Dorbickmon wasn't fazed, and he summoned his sword of flames from his mouth. Using Burning the Dragon, he trapped Millenniumon's foot in the ground and charged at the beast. Millenniumon fired two streams of energy from the cannons it wielded. Dorbickmon avoided the attack and ran up the beast's leg.

"Tyrant Collbrande!" he roared. Dorbickmon horizontally swung his blade, leaving a huge cut on the beast's stomach. Millenniumon roared in pain, and swatted Dorbickmon away, who flipped over and landed on his feet. The beast growled at him viciously, and swung his arms at the drake, attempting to swat him away. Dorbickmon avoided the assault and went in for another attack. Millenniumon fired a black orb from his mouth.

"Look out!" Slayerdramon yelled, recognizing the attack. Dorbickmon managed to avoid the attack, but was slammed into the ground by one of Millenniumon's hands. The beast then used Time Unlimited again and trapped Dorbickmon in the small dimension, immobilizing him.

"Dimension Destroyer!" Millenniumon roared. The orb shined brightly as it exploded in a huge flash of light.

"Dorbickmon!" RizeGreymon yelled. The light faded, revealing the drake to be on the floor in pain. His body was damaged badly, with many burns to his arms and legs. Dorbickmon struggled to get up, but Millenniumon grabbed him with his arms and attempted to crush the drake in his grip.

"Kill..." it growled almost inaudibly, "Kill...kill!"

Dorbickmon yelled in pain as his body was slowly crushed.

"Dorbickmon!" Slayerdramon yelled.

"Howling Cannon!"

In a loud howl, MachGaogamon fired a powerful ultrasonic wave from his mouth, RizeGreymon attacked with Trident Revolver. The beast held off both attacks, as it continued crushing Dorbickmon. Slayerdramon started running over in an attempt to help.

_Damn it...Millenniumon's too strong for us!_ he thought before going on the attack, _Kid...wherever you are...please hurry!_


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: A Friend's Farewell**

Paildramon searched high and low for any sign that would help us find Millenniumon. After searching everywhere in Honey Land, he started heading towards Cyber Land. From what we've seen, it looked as though Millenniumon wasn't rampaging uncontrollably. There was minimal damage in Honey Land, with a few trees torn down and small craters in the ground. As we traveled towards the next kingdom, Dorugamon called out to me from inside the Xros Loader.

"Carlos!"

"What is it Dorugamon?" I asked him.

"Ouryumon is waking up!" he exclaimed, surprising me. Looking at Paildramon for a moment, he looked back as well, waiting for an order.

"Alright, hang on." Dorugamon saw me nod from outside the Xros Loader. On my command, Paildramon landed on the ground. He kneeled down and placed me on the ground. Dorugamon appeared out of my Xros Loader and we reloaded Ouryumon out of the device in front of us. He started showing signs of consciousness. His leg twitched, and we could hear him groaning in pain.

"Urgh..." the serpent's eyes winced. He caught a quick glance of us.

"Hey..." Dorugamon muttered.

"What...? Where am I...?" he looked around.

"Honey Land. Paildramon saved you from a bad head injury after Millenniumon blasted you out of the sky." Dorugamon explained, "How are you feeling...?"

"My back..." the serpent cringed in pain, "It hurts like hell..."

Dorugamon looked down, saddened by the state Ouryumon was currently in. The serpent turned to me.

"Kid..." he muttered, "You're not hurt are you...?"

He saw me nod in disagreement, "No...thanks to you, I avoided any major injury..."

"Good..." he managed to smile. Ouryumon forcefully rose to his feet, despite the huge pain to his back.

"Don't push yourself too hard..." Dorugamon muttered.

"I'll be fine..." Ouryumon nodded slowly, "Where's Slayerdramon...?"

"We think he's out hunting Millenniumon, so we're tracking the beast down." Dorugamon explained.

"Alright...but before we keep going...there's something I want you to know kid..." the serpent turned to me.

"What is it...?" I asked him. He placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Whatever happens from here until after Millenniumon is defeated..." the serpent muttered, "Just know that despite how we met, I'll still be a friend to you, no matter what happens. And that Slayerdramon will help you guys out...even if there are problems that arise between you all..."

"What do you mean...?" his words confused us. Ouryumon stayed silent. Before being able to ask him, he cringed in pain again from his injury, slowly passing out again.

"Stay in the Xros Loader..." Dorugamon advised, "You'll be able to rest in there..."

Ouryumon didn't object and was stored back inside so his injury could continue healing. Dorugamon followed him, and Paildramon grabbed me, placing me on his shoulder. Stretching his wings, he took flight again and headed towards Cyber Land. Our search for Millenniumon continued. However, Ouryumon's injury was starting to worry me, since it should have been healed by now. If it's not being healed completely, then his injury could be more fatal than we thought.

_Ouryumon...hang in there..._

* * *

"Shoryūzanpa!" Slayerdramon yelled. He fired an energy wave from his sword, hitting Millenniumon's eye and aggravating the beast. Dorbickmon managed to free himself from Millenniumon's grip and attacked with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire. The blasts damaged Millenniumon's eye even further. The beast charged up the cannons on its back, firing two streams of energy at Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon. They dodged the attack, and distracted the behemoth long enough for RizeGreymon and MachGaogamon to attack from behind.

"Howling Cannon!"

"Rising Destroyer!"

Both attacks combined together and hit Millenniumon's back. The beast roared in pain, but the attack only fueled the beasts anger. It took to the skies, and swiftly hit MachGaogamon away with one of its four fists.

"Gah!" the wolf was slammed onto the ground. RizeGreymon charged at the beast.

"Solid Strike!" he hit Millenniumon in the face with his revolver, and followed the attack up by firing Trident Revolver at Millenniumon's face, stunning the beast. RizeGreymon soared over and grabbed MachGaogamon. The digimon pulled his friend away towards Slayerdramon and Dorbickmon.

"Are you ok Machy?" he asked the wolf, who groaned in pain.

"I told you to stop calling me that..." MachGaogamon muttered, regretting the day he boasted to RizeGreymon about how fast he could travel. Millenniumon fired another black orb from his mouth. RizeGreymon pushed the wolf away while Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon countered with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire and Shoryūzanpa. The resulting explosion blinded the four, engulfing them in the blast radius. When the light faded, Slayerdramon was the first to awaken and noticed Dorbickmon, RizeGreymon and MachGaogamon on the floor, down for the count.

"D...damn..." he groaned in pain, rising to his feet. He turned around to face Millenniumon, who growled at the drake. With his sword in hand. He charged at Millenniumon.

"Time Unlimited!" the beast roared, firing a black orb from its mouth. Slayerdramon avoided the attack and climbed up the beast's leg. In a huge leap, he armed his sword.

"Tenryūzanha!" Slayerdramon bellowed. With a vertical swing, the dragon attempted to drive his Fragarach through Millenniumon's skull. The beast however, knocked him down to the ground with one of its arms. Dorbickmon and the other two started regaining consciousness.

"Urgh..." MachGaogamon groaned in pain, sitting up straight. He held his head in pain with one of his hands as he rose to his feet. RizeGreymon followed, cringing in pain.

"How strong is this bastard..." RizeGreymon growled, breathing heavily. Millenniumon started charging the cannons it wielded. Dorbickmon and the others had exhausted most of their energy, but they forced themselves to continue fighting for as long as it takes, pushing themselves beyond their limits. Millenniumon fired the two streams of energy it had been charging up, as it soared at the four.

"Kill..." it growled.

* * *

After searching Cyber Land, Paildramon started flying over to Gold Land, continuing the search for Millenniumon. So far, the searches have turned up with no sign of the beast. As the sea changed into a glistening gold color below Paildramon, we started devising of a way to defeat Millenniumon.

"How is Ouryumon doing?" I asked Dorugamon, who was in the Xros Loader with the serpent.

"He's getting better, but his back injury is still looking severe..." the digimon responded.

"Ok...keep watching him."

"What do you plan to do when we find Millenniumon?" Dorugamon asked.

"We're going to fight him with everything we've got." he heard me respond, "That means using the DigiXrosses we've used before..."

Dorugamon nodded in understanding, and turned his attention towards Ouryumon. Paildramon stopped his flight for a moment and looked around. Gold Land was the biggest of the Seven Kingdoms, since it was the entire sea. Searching every island for Millenniumon would take too long.

"Paildramon, don't bother searching Gold Land." he heard me tell him. He turned to look at me, awaiting instructions.

"Head straight for Canyon Land. We can't spend any time on these islands."

He nodded in understanding, and resumed his flight, heading towards Canyon Land. Paildramon increased his speed to make the travel shorter. A half hour later, we could see the small harbor and town that was Zudo Harbor, and we passed over the town, traveling through the Airdramon Mountains. As the climate warmed up, the ground became barren and rocky, signaling that we were out of the Airdramon Mountains and entered Canyon Land. The weather became very hot, and there was no breeze. Paildramon traveled through the canyon, and we noticed craters and a bit of rubble around us.

"Millenniumon must be around here somewhere..." Dorugamon muttered. Paildramon looked around, and he spotted something that shocked him.

"What's wrong?" I asked the dragon. Pointing towards the ground, we noticed a familiar blue wolf and orange dinosaur on the ground, unconscious.

"No..." my eyes widened with shock, "Guys!"

Paildramon landed next to them. Placing me on the ground, he ran over and picked up MachGaogamon by the arm. Dorugamon reloaded out of the Xros Loader and went to check on RizeGreymon.

"Hey, wake up!" Paildramon told the wolf, shaking him slightly. MachGaogamon didn't respond, causing Paildramon to check his pulse. Dorugamon tried waking up RizeGreymon, but the same result occurred.

"This is bad..." he muttered. Paildramon placed MachGaogamon on the floor and walked over to check RizeGreymon's breathing. We waited for him to respond.

"...both of them are alive." he told us. Dorugamon sighed in relief.

"They have both been pushed beyond their limits." Paildramon noticed, "They will wake up soon, but they are unable to continue fighting."

"Alright, then let's keep going. Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon have to be around here somewhere..."

Storing MachGaogamon and RizeGreymon inside the Xros Loader, Paildramon placed me on his shoulder and took to the skies again. Dorugamon followed after us. As our search continued, we noticed the battlefield getting worse and worse. A burst of light appeared in the horizon, surprising us.

"That has to be where Millenniumon is!" Dorugamon exclaimed. Paildramon increased his speed once again, and we could finally see the beast a few miles away.

"There he is!"

We looked over and noticed Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon on the floor, struggling to get up. They had received heavier damage than MachGaogamon and RizeGreymon, concluding that the other two had run out of energy first, so these two had to lead Millenniumon away.

"Dorbickmon! Slayerdramon!" I called out to them. Slayerdramon looked over, giving a slight smile.

"Finally...you're here..." he muttered. Paildramon helped him stand on his feet, but Slayerdramon still couldn't find the energy to stay balanced.

"Are you ok?!" Dorugamon asked.

"Y...yeah..." Slayerdramon cringed in pain, "That thing...it's too much for us..."

Millenniumon grabbed Dorbickmon, and attempted to crush the drake in his grip.

"Go help him..." Slayerdramon pushed himself away from Paildramon. He stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet. Paildramon nodded and soared at Millenniumon.

"Electric Bolt!" he charged up a bolt of electricity in his hand and fired it at Millenniumon, hitting the beast in the face. The behemoth roared in pain, releasing his grip on Dorbickmon. Paildramon caught the drake, who was nearly unconscious.

"Are you still able to fight?" Paildramon asked him.

"...don't...be ridiculous..." Dorbickmon growled, cringing in pain, "Of course I can..."

Millenniumon fired a black orb from his mouth, which headed straight at the two.

"Alright, time to fight back!" I grabbed my Xros Loader, "Dorbickmon, Paildramon, DigiXros!"

Paildramon managed to move to the side so they wouldn't get caught in the orb. He and Dorbickmon were engulfed in the light the Xros Loader was emitting, as the two fused together.

"DigiXros!"

Dorbickmon gained many of Paildramon's attributes, including the digimon's armor, the blasters on his waist, the dragon's tail and legs, as well as Paildramon's muscular build and the X mark on his abdomen. Paildramon's blue scales turned crimson to match Dorbickmon's, who still retained the cannons on his chest and the black horns on his back. To top it off, he gained both pairs of Paildramon's wings on his back, and the spikes on his shoulder.

"Dorbickmon P Xros!"

Dorbickmon charged at Millenniumon with the new power boost he gained. He trapped the beast's foot in the ground with Burning the Dragon, distracting it from his next attack.

"Desperado Fire!"

Charging up the cannons on his chest and the blasters on his waist, Dorbickmon unleashed a fury of flame bursts on the beast's body, causing it to roar in pain. He wasted no time, and kept attacking.

"Electric Bolt!" Dorbickmon charged up a bolt of electricity in his hand and hurled it at Millenniumon, hitting the beast's chest and shocking it. Despite the repeated onslaught of attacks, Millenniumon wasn't fazed, and the attacks served to fuel his bloodthirsty nature. It fired two streams of energy from the cannons it wielded. Dorbickmon avoided the attack, but he was quickly hit away.

"Time Unlimited!" Millenniumon bellowed. It fired a black orb from its mouth, trapping the drake inside.

"Dorbickmon!" Dorugamon exclaimed. The drake was immobilized.

"What is that attack...?" I muttered. The words Chirinmon told Dorugamon and Paildramon suddenly came into my mind.

_Beware of his abilities...if he traps you in one, then it'll be all over, no matter what happens..._

"That must be what he was talking about!" my eyes widened with shock. Grabbing my Xros Loader, Millenniumon made his move.

"Dimension Destroyer!" he roared.

"Xros Open!"

It was close, but Dorbickmon was engulfed in the light of the Xros Loader. It protected him from the attack as he split back into himself and Paildramon. They appeared out of the blast radius and stood in front of us.

"That was too close..." Dorugamon muttered. Slayerdramon looked at me.

"Carlos...DigiXros me with Dorbickmon." he ordered. Nodding in agreement, they watched me raise the Xros Loader in the air.

"Dorbickmon, Slayerdramon, DigiXros!"

The light engulfed the two digimon as they fused together.

"DigiXros!"

Gaining Slayerdramon's attributes, Dorbickmon's chest plate was replaced with Slayerdramon's. His gauntlet lost the two spikes on the sides, and Slayerdramon's shin guards were adorned with diamonds on them, replacing Dorbickmon's. Wearing Slayerdramon's cape, which changed color along with the armor along to match Dorbickmon's scales. Gaining Slayerdramon's tail, the glow of the armor in the small lines of yellow armor around the edges appeared in irregular intervals. The blades that each dragon wielded combined into one, forming a flaming Fragarach with the outer shell being composed of Slayerdramon's blade.

"Dorbickmon, Slayer Mode!"

"Heat Viper!" Millenniumon roared. He fired a green blast of flames from his mouth at Dorbickmon. The drake moved to the side and avoided the attack, charging at Millenniumon.

"Shoryū Collbrande!" Dorbickmon roared. He fired an energy wave of flames from his blade, hitting the beast in the stomach. Millenniumon roared in pain. The beast took to the skies, but Dorbickmon jumped onto the beast's leg.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" the dragon roared. He fired two bursts of fire from the cannons on his chest. It hit Millenniumon in the face, stopping the beast mid-flight. Dorbickmon jumped in the air.

"Tenryū Collbrande!" he raised the blade in the air, and hit the beast's skull with a vertical swing, cracking the beast's hard skull slightly. Millenniumon shrieked in pain.

"Finish it!" I ordered. Dorbickmon wrapped his blade around the beast's stomach.

"Koryū Collbrande!"

He used the falling speed to pull the sword towards him and slam the beast on the ground. He then pulled the sword free, cutting away at Millenniumon's skin and leaving a huge open scar on its stomach. The beast roared in pain. Dorbickmon blasted it with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire a few times in the wound, making it severe, and trapped the beast's arms and legs in the ground with Burning the Dragon. Having immobilized the beast, it looked as though the battle was over.

"Phew...that was close..." Dorugamon muttered. Dorbickmon approached the beast with his blade in hand, ready to finish the beast off. Millenniumon snarled at the dragon, who wasn't fazed. The beast's scar was bleeding without end.

"Hmph..." Dorbickmon raised his blade in the air, "Shoryū-!"

Millenniumon freed on of his arms and grabbed Dorbickmon. Charging up the cannons it wielded, he unleashed two streams of energy at the dragon, letting him go right before the attack hit.

"Dorbickmon!" Dorugamon exclaimed.

"Time Unlimited!"

Before Dorbickmon could react, Millenniumon fired a black orb from his mouth, and trapped the dragon inside. The behemoth roared.

"No!" Dorugamon's eyes widened with shock. Reaching for my Xros Loader, Millenniumon turned his attention to me.

"Xros Ope-!"

The behemoth surprised us by firing a black orb at me.

"Carlos!" Dorugamon pushed me out of the way as he and Paildramon jumped in front of me and were trapped inside.

"Dimension Destroyer!" Millenniumon bellowed. Both orbs shined brightly as they caused a huge blinding explosion to engulf all of us in the blast radius. The blast was so loud in volume that the sounds of Dorbickmon and the others screaming was drowned out.

When the explosion subsided, there was a huge crater in the ground, where Dorbickmon and the others were collapsed inside.

"Guys!" my eyes widened with shock. Running over to them, Dorbickmon was completely unconscious. His entire body was out cold and he wouldn't wake up when I shook his arm. The attack broke him and Slayerdramon out of the DigiXros. Without him, then Xros Digivolution was impossible, and giving him the others' energy was out of the question since they were too low on energy. Guilmon was the only digimon with energy to battle, and even in his digivolved form, he would be no match for the beast.

"Dorbickmon, wake up!"

My efforts to wake the drake up were useless. Millenniumon grabbed the unconscious Dorbickmon by his head, and threw him to the other side of the field as if he was a toy. Dorbickmon hit the ground, but was still unconscious. Millenniumon then turned his attention back to me. The beast started charging up the cannons it wielded.

"Damn it...!"

Despite trying to back away, the beast followed me. The fact that he was still able to fight despite the huge severe injury to his stomach and his cracked skull showed how his power was too much for us. Grabbing my Xros Loader, the behemoth caught me in his grip before being able to act. He started to slowly tighten his grip, causing me to let go of my Xros Loader due to the pain. It fell on the floor as the beast glared at me with those crimson eyes. The cannons had finished charging up, and fear caused me to close my eyes and prepare for the worst. The Xros Loader started emitting a bright light from the screen, surprising us both. We watched as a familiar gold serpent came out of the screen and knocked back Millenniumon with a punch to the face. The beast release its grip on me, but I was saved by the familiar digimon.

"You ok kid?" he asked.

"Ouryumon..."

He landed on the floor a few feet away from Millenniumon, and placed me on the ground. Taking out his two blades, Ouryumon snarled at Millenniumon. Looking at his back, the wound Ouryumon had from before was still there.

"Wait!" he heard me exclaim, "What about your injury?! It hasn't healed yet!"

"Don't worry about me..." Ouryumon growled, "You just store the others in your Xros Loader. I'll handle Millenniumon..."

"But-!"

"There isn't time to argue!" Ouryumon took to the skies, "Now go!"

Millenniumon fired the two streams of energy from the cannons it wielded. Ouryumon crossed his arms.

"Eiseiryūoujin!" the serpent roared. He swung his swords diagonally, shooting out an energy wave in the shape of an X. Both attacks collided, creating a huge explosion.

"Ouryumon..."

Despite his state, his injury could be the death of him if Millenniumon strikes the wound. It worried me, but there was no time. He gave me an order. Grabbing my Xros Loader, I ran over to Dorugamon and Paildramon, who had just started to regain consciousness, and stored them into the Xros Loader to heal. Slayerdramon's eyes winced, and he saw me approaching him.

"Kid..."

"Stay in the Xros Loader for a while. You need to heal..."

He nodded slowly, and went into the device. Looking over at Dorbickmon, who was the farthest away, Ouryumon watched me start running over to the drake.

_Keep going kid... _he thought. Millenniumon hit him in the face, but Ouryumon resisted.

"You aren't beating me that easily this time!" the serpent roared. He stabbed the tip of his tail into the beast's leg, causing Millenniumon to roar in pain. Ouryumon punched the beast away, crossing his arms.

"Eiseiryūoujin!"

He fired another X-shaped energy wave, hitting the scar on Millenniumon's stomach that Dorbickmon inflicted on the beast and cutting it open even further. The beast roared in pain, but it still resisted death. It managed to trap Ouryumon with a black orb fired from its mouth.

"Damn...I can't move...!" the serpent snarled. While he was busy fighting Millenniumon, it bought me enough time to reach Dorbickmon, who still wasn't responding.

"Come on Dorbickmon..." I muttered, "At least show me something that means you're ok..."

He didn't respond. The dragon was on the floor on his side. Despite not moving, one of his fingers twitched, catching my eye. It was a huge relief. He was stored into the Xros Loader.

"Rest up...you deserve it..."

"Dimension Destroyer!"

A huge explosion occurred behind me, as the sound of Ouryumon screaming filled my eardrums. Turning around, the serpent was falling from the sky.

"Ouryumon!"

Millenniumon followed up the attack by hitting the serpent with two streams of energy from the cannons on its back. The attacks hit Ouryumon's wound, tearing it open and making it fatal.

"Gah!" Ouryumon yelled in pain, crashing into the ground. Running over to him, small yellow orbs were coming out of Ouryumon's body, signaling one thing.

"No..."

Slayerdramon reloaded out of the Xros Loader. He was still very injured, but he didn't care.

"Ouryumon...get in the Xros Loader..." he told the serpent, worried.

"No..." Ouryumon growled, "I won't let this bastard terrorize the rest of the Digital World. Xros Heart doesn't have to waste their time getting involved. Even if it kills me, I'm ending this! Here and now!"

The serpent took to the skies, and charged at Millenniumon. The beast fired another black orb from its mouth. Ouryumon grabbed his blades and with all of his strength, hit the orb back at Millenniumon. The beast was caught by surprise, and before it could avoid the orb, Ouryumon wrapped his body around Millenniumon's arms and midsection, constricting the beast. The orb started to trap the two inside.

"Ouryumon!" Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock. The serpent gave him one last look.

"Slayerdramon..." he muttered, "There were times when I thought you couldn't do anything since I always saved us from trouble, but...I've seen what you can accomplish now...I know you'll do the right thing in terms of what path you'll take next...stay close to our new friends...you'll need them now more than ever..."

The drake was in complete shock. A tear developed in the serpent's eyes.

"I...leave the rest of our goal up to you..." Ouryumon muttered. Before he was immobilized by the beast's Tune Unlimited, Ouryumon stabbed both his blades through the golden dragon aura Millenniumon was emanating, into the beast's back and heart, and drove the swords in until the tips came out of the huge scar Millenniumon had on its stomach. Millenniumon roared in pain. Before it was absorbed by the attack completely, it yelled, "Dimension Destroyer!"

The huge black orb engulfed the two digimon. It let of a bright flash and caused a blinded explosion. Slayerdramon's eyes started tearing up.

"Ouryumon!" he yelled. The explosion sent shock waves all around the battlefield, shaking the land and causing a huge tremor. Shielding my eyes from the brightness of the explosion, the shock waves nearly pushed the two of us away. When the light faded, it was revealed that neither Ouryumon nor Millenniumon survived the explosion. There was no data trail that survived.

"No..." Slayerdramon dropped to his knees in despair, having lost his closest friend.

"Slayerdramon..." I tried walking over to him, but he stopped me. There was a moment of silence between us, until he spoke.

"...leave..." he muttered without turning around to face me, "I want to be alone..."

"But Slayerdramon..." He turned around quickly when he heard me approaching him again. He gave me a cold glare.

"I SAID I WANT TO BE ALONE!" he roared, with tears in his eyes and running down his cheeks. Noting his grief, there wasn't any objection. Leaving him alone and walking away, the only sound that filled my eardrums was the sound of Slayerdramon crying.

"Ouryumon..." he slammed his fist on the ground in anger and sorrow. His best friend was gone, and there was no remaining fragment of data to bring him back.

In the mountain a few miles from Slayerdramon, MaloMyotismon had watched the end of the battle and clenched his fist in anger because of Millenniumon's failure.

"Worthless little...!" he growled, and took flight to go and report the event to DarkKnightmon. Back in the dark castle, DarkKnightmon was going over the remaining details of his plan. He was looking out of the castle window when MaloMyotismon walked in.

"So you've returned..." the knight muttered, "I assume the plan has succeeded...?"

MaloMyotismon frowned, "No my lord...Millenniumon was defeated..."

DarkKnightmon quickly turned around, surprised and angered. "What?! That's impossible! Dorbickmon should have been no match for the beast! Even with DigiXrossing and Xros Digivolution, he should have been turned into a carcass!"

"It's true." MaloMyotismon muttered, "Dorbickmon was no match. Millenniumon had him right where we wanted him. However, before the beast could finish it, the Slayerdramon's friend Ouryumon interfered. He redirected the beast's own attack back at Millenniumon, and he wrapped himself around the beast. The two died in the explosion. From what it looked like, not one piece of data survived the explosion."

DarkKnightmon growled, clenching his fist in anger. MaloMyotismon noticed, and tried to calm his master down.

"This wasn't a complete loss." he explained, "Even with Millenniumon gone, we've gathered a decent amount of dark energy from the other digimon that you've recruited. Millenniumon managed to kill one of Dorbickmon's friends. This is still in our favor. If anything, they will be distracted by the serpent's death long enough for you to finish devising a plan when you start hunting the Death Generals."

DarkKnightmon merely stormed out in anger. "Just focus on gathering more dark energy..." the knight muttered, leaving MaloMyotismon alone.

"...as you wish, my lord..." the behemoth muttered. DarkKnightmon walked away, pondering these thoughts in his head.

_Dorbickmon...you and your little friends have started to annoy me. When my plan is complete and I have acquired what I so rightfully deserve. I will make sure you suffer the worst pain imaginable...and it won't stop until I'm satisfied..._

* * *

Author's Note: This is where you all hate me isn't it? XD Well I'm sorry to all the Ouryumon fans, but there was really no other character development left for him, so I let him die fighting. Oh, and "Machy" is pronounced as "Mach-e".


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Slayerdramon and Ouryumon's Past Revealed**

It was the middle of the night and Slayerdramon hadn't returned yet. Ouryumon's death had struck him deeply. While waiting for him in the foyer of Dorbickmon's Castle, the sounds of MachGaogamon and RizeGreymon groaning in pain from inside the Xros Loader caught my attention. Reloading them out of the device and on the floor next to me, they opened their eyes, noticing me.

"Hey...are you two alright?" I asked them. MachGaogamon held his head, sitting up straight.

"Yeah..." he muttered, "My head hurts is all..."

RizeGreymon struggled, but he and MachGaogamon rose to their feet.

"What happened Machy...?" RizeGreymon asked the wolf.

"Machy...?" my attention turned to the wolf, who punched RizeGreymon in the arm. The digimon cringed in pain.

"Ow...!"

"I told you to stop calling me that!" the wolf barked, confusing me.

"What's that all about...?"

"It's an annoying nickname he gave me after I beat him in a race." MachGaogamon gave me a quick glance.

"I see..."

As we talked, Slayerdramon walked in. Looking over at him, the look in his eyes was one of pure sorrow and grief.

"Slayerdramon..."

He didn't answer, and simply walked passed us and towards the hall. RizeGreymon turned to me.

"What happened...?" the digimon asked. Looking down, I explained what happened.

"Ouryumon...is dead."

The news shocked the two. A wave of silence entered the room. They nodded in understanding.

"I see..." MachGaogamon muttered.

"What about Millenniumon...?" RizeGreymon asked.

"Ouryumon sacrificed himself to kill the beast. The result was that neither of them survived. Their data must have been destroyed in the explosion caused by Millenniumon's Dimension Destroyer since there was no trail of it when the explosion subsided."

"He isn't taking it well by the looks of it..." MachGaogamon muttered.

"No...he isn't." my attention turned to the hallway Slayerdramon walked to, "He's heartbroken...I'm guessing this is how you felt RizeGreymon...when you found out we killed your brother back when he was hunting Dorumon..."

RizeGreymon nodded in agreement. Turning back to them, they were saddened by the news.

"...I don't know what to do..." they heard me mutter.

"...you need to console him." MachGaogamon advised, "You have to show him that you'll be there for him when he needs it..."

My response was a simple nod. MachGaogamon and RizeGreymon decided to rest in the castle for the night, using the room on the third floor of the castle next to Dorbickmon's.

The following morning, I walked into Slayerdramon's room with a container of DigiNoir for him. He was in there, sitting down in one of the corners of the room with his legs crossed. The look in his eyes of grief and mourning was still there. He didn't even turn to see me walking up to him.

"Slayerdramon...?"

He wouldn't answer me, nor did he look at me.

"I brought you some DigiNoir..."

Giving him the container, he stopped me from handing it to him.

"I'm not hungry..." he muttered.

"You have to eat something..."

"Just leave me alone..." he turned away from me, looking at the wall.

"Please..."

Attempting to give him the container again, he hit it out of my hand with the back of his hand, and the force of it knocked the container towards the wall. It fell on the floor.

"I told you I'm not hungry!" he barked at me in anger, "Now leave me alone!"

"I'm only trying to help you..."

Trying to stay calm with him, Slayerdramon rose to his feet and gave me a sharp glare.

"I don't want your help! And I don't want you to try and sympathize with me! You wouldn't understand! You never will!"

On that note, Slayerdramon stormed out of the room in anger, leaving me alone. Looking around, the sight of a white Xros Loader on the table had caught my eye. Walking over to it and picking it up, and idea came to mind.

_Slayerdramon said he was a hunter...maybe one of his hunted Digimon can help me with this..._

Raising the white Xros Loader in the air and yelling, "Reload!", it was expected that the device emit a bright light from the screen and a digimon would come out. However, none of that happened. Pressing the circle button it had, the same result occurred. After messing with the button for a few minutes, the only thing that it seemed to do was pop open a map of the region, which is a regular feature for Xros Loaders, but it was still strange. Slayerdramon had told me that he was a hunter, yet there wasn't any digimon inside. Another idea came to mind. Reloading Paildramon out of my Xros Loader, he looked at me.

"Paildramon, try going into this Xros Loader."

He nodded in understanding. Pointing the device's screen at him, we expected it to emit a bright light that send him inside. However, even that idea failed. The white Xros Loader Slayerdramon had didn't respond at all.

"That's strange...I should go ask Shoutmon about this Xros Loader."

Walking out of the room and towards the outside of the castle, Paildramon placed me on his shoulder and took to the skies, heading for Shoutmon's Castle. The travel took a few hours, but we soon arrived in the courtyard of the castle. When we walked in the throne room, Shoutmon was in there alone. The king turned around when he saw the both of us walking in.

"Hey..." he muttered.

"Shoutmon..."

"What's wrong...?" Shoutmon walked up to us, noticing the look of sadness on my face.

"I need your help..."

Despite not wanting him to have gotten involved, there was nothing left to do but tell him. Explaining to him about Millenniumon and Ouryumon's sacrifice, he was angry with me for hiding it from him.

"What?!" he snapped, "What were you all thinking?! Do you know how much danger you were all in?!"

"Yes...we didn't want you, Taiki or Xros Heart to become involved and waste time tracking Millenniumon down..."

"You should have let me make that decision!" he barked. He saw me look away, while Paildramon stayed silent.

"How is everyone else...?" he asked.

"MachGaogamon and RizeGreymon are fine. They left this morning to go back to each others' hometown. Dorbickmon and Dorugamon are still unconscious and healing in the Xros Loader. Dorbickmon sustained the most damage since he was the one Millenniumon was targeting. Slayerdramon on the other hand...he's not taking Ouryumon's death well..."

Shoutmon stayed silent. He turned around and walked over to the castle window, where he saw the hedges that were trimmed to resemble the logo for Xros Heart.

"You should have let us handle it. At least Ouryumon would still be alive if we had gotten involved..."

"I'm sorry Shoutmon..." I muttered. An idea suddenly surfaced in my mind. "But...what about the Code Crown? You told me in your story that it once helped you bring back Beelzemon, Deckerdramon, Apollomon and Olegmon during the war..."

"It has since vanished." he explained, "After using it's full power to reformat the entire Digital World back together into one and wanting it to prevent the world splitting up into Zones and Kingdoms again, it turned into a mere stone."

Shoutmon pointed to the roof of the throne room. Looking up, there was a big diamond shaped stone sitting on top of the gold plated chandelier that lit the room.

"Now it is just a relic that reminds us of what the Digital World use to be like."

"Oh..." the news saddened me.

"Who knows how long it could take until Ouryumon's data comes back and becomes whole...and that is if it survived the huge explosion..." Shoutmon muttered. Taking out the white Xros Loader, we changed the subject.

"I found this Xros Loader in Slayerdramon's room...he told us he was a hunter, so I wanted to see if there was any digimon in his collection that would help me. But when I tried to reload one out of the device, nothing happened. I even tried storing Paildramon inside, but that didn't work either. The only thing that it seems to do is open a map of the region..."

Shoutmon turned around, "Let me see it."

Giving him the device, he started to examine the device. The results seem to be the same for him.

"I don't see anything wrong with it." he muttered, "But you're right about one thing; it is weird that he doesn't have at least one other digimon, especially since he told us he was a hunter. And the fact that it only opens a map of the region and doesn't store any other digimon is peculiar as well."

"Yeah..."

"...let's go ask Wisemon." Shoutmon advised. We nodded in agreement and followed him after he walked out of the room. We found Wisemon in the castle's first floor near the foyer.

"Wisemon!" Shoutmon called out to him. The digimon turned around. Shoutmon handed him Slayerdramon's Xros Loader.

"Can you examine this Xros Loader?" the king asked him, "For some reason the only thing it does is open a map of the region..."

"Storing other digimon inside of it didn't work either." I added.

"...that is strange." Wisemon nodded, "Very well."

He started examining the device. The giant book he wielded appeared next to him, as it opened up and rapidly turned through the pages. It stopped after reaching the center page, and Wisemon kept examining the device. After a few minutes, the book closed up.

"I have reached a conclusion." Wisemon told us.

"What is it?" Shoutmon asked.

"...that device is not a real Xros Loader." Wisemon told us, "It has none of the abilities of the one's given to Taiki, the other hunters, or this boy standing next to you."

"...It's a fake..." Shoutmon's face turned serious.

"Yes." Wisemon nodded. The news shocked me.

"But...if that's not a Xros Loader...then that means Slayerdramon isn't really a hunter...and if he's not a hunter, then...who is he and who's Ouryumon?!"

Shoutmon turned around to face me, "I think I might have an idea..."

"What do you mean...?"

"Do you remember how I was suspicious of the two when we first met them?" he asked me. He saw me nod in understanding.

"Well...the reason for that is because...a few months before you came to the Digital World, I was told by Beelzemon that a group of the law enforcement that was keeping one of the Seven Kingdoms safe had apprehended a Slayerdramon. He explained that they had told him that the group arrived at the scene to see the Slayerdramon kill three digimon. This wasn't the first time he had been arrested either, another group in a different Kingdom had arrested the same dragon months earlier. I had my doubts when he appeared but...if the story is true, then the Slayerdramon they captured...could be the one that you've befriended..."

The news shocked me and Paildramon.

"Th...that can't be true..."

"I wish it wasn't either, considering how close they are to you and the others as friends. The only way you'll find out...is to get him to tell you." Shoutmon muttered. He saw me nod.

"I will. That story can't be true. It just can't..."

On that note, we left Shoutmon and Wisemon to go outside. Paildramon placed me on his shoulder, taking to the skies and heading towards Dragon Land. Paildramon looked back at me, noting the disbelief on my face. He stopped mid-flight.

"Carlos...?" he asked, "Are you ok...?"

"I...I'm fine Paildramon...just keep going towards Dragon Land. We have to get the truth from Slayerdramon..."

He stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. When we walked into Slayerdramon's after arriving at the castle, we noticed Slayerdramon wasn't inside, and we spent the rest of the day waiting for him. Night fell, and he finally walked into his room.

"Slayerdramon." I called out to him from behind. He turned around, and looked at me with a slight glare.

"Leave me alone..." he muttered.

"No." was my simple response. He stayed silent, allowing me to talk. He watched me take out a white Xros Loader and give it to him.

"That's yours."

"I know..." he muttered.

"You know, Shoutmon had suspicions about you and Ouryumon when we met...but to me you looked like two regular digimon to me. Of course, the facade about Ouryumon being your hunted digimon sure fooled me..."

Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock, "W...what do you mean...?"

"When you stormed out, I wanted to see if there was a digimon in your Xros Loader that could help me in trying to help you. However, there was no other digimon inside...now why is it that you, a supposed 'hunter', had no other digimon in that Xros Loader after months of experience...?"

The look of shock on his face was enough to show us he was hiding something from us.

"I...I could have let them go after I hunted them..." he stammered.

"True, but then again...you'd need an authentic Xros Loader for that...and I tried storing Paildramon in that device, but it didn't work...Wisemon examined it, and he told us it wasn't a real Xros Loader, nor is it one they give to hunters nowadays...the device you have is a fake."

Slayerdramon backed away, "Y...you..."

"But there's something else." I cut him off, "Shoutmon told us a story...he told us that a few months ago before I entered the Digital World, a group of the law enforcement keeping the peace in one of the Seven Kingdoms had arrested a Slayerdramon for killing digimon...and this wasn't the first time he was arrested. It was the second time they locked him up in jail...you wouldn't happen to know about that, would you...?"

His eyes widened with shock again. He backed away in disbelief.

"I...you...how..." he stammered. The way he was acting was enough to prove Shoutmon's story right. He was that Slayerdramon. My expression turned serious.

"I see..."

Paildramon extended the spikes on his gauntlets into blades in the case of a possible battle.

"...why...why did you lie to us Slayerdramon!? How could you and Ouryumon use us like that?!Weren't we friends?! Answer!"

Slayerdramon snapped under the pressure, "You don't understand!"

"Understand what?!"

"Those crimes I committed...it wasn't like that!" he exclaimed, "You don't know the situation I was in!"

There was a moment of silence between us, until he looked at us in a glare.

"You'd never understand...you don't know me at all...I'd never use someone for my own gain..."

he snarled. Slayerdramon pushed his way out of the room and ran off. We didn't stop him.

* * *

As Slayerdramon ran out of the front gates, there was tears in his eyes. He ran out of the trail leading into the valley, and out of the center trail of the intersection before that. After running nonstop, he eventually found himself alone, wandering through the desolate mountains. He had nothing.

"Damn it..." he muttered, trying to hold back his tears. He was heading towards the small cabin he knew of when he heard a familiar voice echo from behind him.

"Heh...so your secret's out?"

The grunt and slightly deep tone laughed at Slayerdramon, who recognized the voice loud and clear.

"You..." he snarled, turning around and noticing the familiar orange bipedal spinosaurus. The digimon had blue eyes, and his head had spikes on the sides of his cheeks and one pointing backwards on his forehead, all of which were the same color as the digimon's orange scales. The middle of his neck, as well as the inside of his arms, legs, chest, stomach, palms and the bottom of his feet had light yellow scales. There was a line of orange spike scales running down his tail. On the inside of his shoulders were red scales, each of which had huge spikes protruding out of the center, as well as on the sides of his back and body. What stood out the most was that on the center of his back, there was a group of huge steel blades growing out. The digimon towered over Slayerdramon at five feet away. It smirked, showing his razor-sharp teeth, with the three claws on his hand ready.

"Aw...what's wrong...? Not happy to see your old pal Spinomon again...?"

"You were never my friend..." Slayerdramon growled, "And you definitely weren't Ouryumon's!"

"Still mad because it was I who gave you the order that got you arrested a second time?" Spinomon laughed at him. Slayerdramon grabbed his Fragarach.

"You know well enough that I deliberately went against that order!" he barked.

"Oh I know that." Spinomon smirked, "The order I gave you was to kill three digimon that were part of the law enforcement. I even gave you three other digimon to help. However, you were sent to jail because you killed the three digimon that were helping you instead of the targets. By the time that group of the law noticed, you had killed the third digimon that I sent to help you. You simply kept quiet about us, opting to take the chance in prison if it meant getting away from us."

"The law enforcement hadn't done anything wrong!" Slayerdramon retorted, "They were innocent!"

"And I'm sure you told that to that kid your always following nowadays, huh...?" Spinomon smirked. Slayerdramon stayed silent. His mere eyes widened with shock, as he looked away. Spinomon found pleasure in this.

"Heh...I knew it." the digimon laughed, "After all, you were always running away from your problems, always having to rely on little Ouryumon to save you."

Slayerdramon quickly attacked Spinomon with Shoryūzanpa.

"Don't you DARE mention Ouryumon!" he roared, "You're not worthy of mentioning his name!"

Spinomon laughed, "Blue Prominence!"

The spinosaurus fired a burst of blue flames from his mouth, countering Slayerdramon's attack and nullifying it.

"Don't bother." Spinomon muttered, "You might have gotten stronger by being around those 'friends' of yours, but you still won't beat me. You know I'm second-in-command in the organization."

"Then answer me! Why were we suddenly on your hit list a few months ago?!" Slayerdramon yelled.

"I'm surprised. I would have thought all those things you learned from your father as a child would have given you a hint."

Slayerdramon eyes widened with shock, "W...what...?!"

"As your dying wish, then I might as well tell you." Spinomon gave him an evil smile, "Both Ouryumon's father and yours were part of the organization. They were two of our best members. You've always wanted to know why they abandoned you...that's because the day they did was the day they decided to try and destroy everything we stood for."

Slayerdramon had been shocked by the news. His grip on the Fragarach loosened up.

"Th...they..."

"You and Ouryumon were barely a Dracomon and Ryudamon, correct? Didn't all those beatings and lessons about lying and killing struck you off as weird?" Spinomon asked. He didn't expect Slayerdramon to answer, so he kept talking. "They wanted you to grow up as cruel as they were, so that you can do what they failed to achieve!"

"Failed...?" Slayerdramon looked at him in shock.

"That's right. Your father, as well as Ouryumon's, died at the hands of me and the boss." Spinomon laughed, "Time passed, and when we recruited you, we though that you were simply a Wingdramon and Ouryumon was a Hisaryumon. However, when you started to defy orders and killed the three other members, it helped the boss realize. Your behavior, as well as how close you were to Ouryumon was enough proof to us that you were their children. It didn't take long for the boss to figure out that you two would follow in their footsteps, and boy, was he ever right..."

"You...!" Slayerdramon growled. He and Spinomon were then surrounded by a group of twenty Deltamon and ten Airdramon, all of which were on Spinomon's side.

"Though I will admit. Ouryumon alone did better than either of the two. This is the last of our members...then it will just be me and the boss left..."

Slayerdramon assumed a battle stance. Spinomon growled.

"And this time, there is no more running away for you...it's time you joined them all as mere data." the spinosaurus pointed at the drake, "Kill him!"

All the Deltamon charged at Slayerdramon, who charged at them.

* * *

In the castle balcony, I was deep in thought. First Ouryumon died for us, and now it turns out that both he and Slayerdramon were using us to hide. All those times where they were by our side, and the thought pondered in my mind about whether or not they were real, or just a simple facade. As it all circled around my mind, Rob and Dracomon walked up to me from behind.

"Hey, we're back." Rob called out to me. Turning around, the bandages around Dracomon's forehead and left leg caught my attention.

"What happened to him?"

"Well..." Rob scratched the back of his head, "One of the things Shoutmon had us do was in Gold Land, and involved a lot of heavy lifting and...well..."

"Oh..."

"He's fine though." Rob assured me, "It was just a concussion and a leg cramp. He should be fine tomorrow morning."

"Ok."

As we talked, Dorugamon came out of my Xros Loader, finally awake from the injuries he sustained from the battle against Millenniumon.

"Hey...are you ok?" I asked him. He nodded slowly.

"Yeah..." Dorugamon looked around, noticing we were back in the castle.

"By the way...where's Slayerdramon?" Dracomon asked, "We didn't see him in the castle."

My expression turned serious. They watched me turn away from them, focusing my sight towards the mountains in the distance.

"...he lied to us."

"What do you mean...?" Dorugamon asked. Hesitating a bit, they were informed about what happened an hour ago between me and him, as well as what Shoutmon had told me. The news shocked the three of them.

"W...what...?!" Dorugamon's eyes widened with shock, "Th...that can't be true!"

"It is. Unlike last time, this time he wasn't being controlled or manipulated...he and Ouryumon were criminals...they used us to hide away..."

There was a moment of silence. Dracomon walked up to me.

"I...I don't believe it." Dracomon muttered.

"It's the truth. Would Shoutmon lie?"

"No." Dracomon looked down, "But even if they were criminals, the way they supported us...and all those emotions...they could never be faked."

"We don't know that."

"Then there's only one thing to do. You have to get Slayerdramon to tell you the full story." Dracomon advised. I stayed silent. Dorugamon walked up to me.

"Carlos..." he muttered, "Don't you remember what Ouryumon told us when we were hunting Millenniumon...?"

The serpent's words resurfaced in my mind.

_Whatever happens from here until after Millenniumon is defeated...Just know that despite how we met, I'll still be a friend to you, no matter what happens. And that Slayerdramon will help you guys out...even if there are problems that arise between you all..._

"Ouryumon knew his wound was fatal..." Dorugamon muttered, "He told us he'd always be our friend. He saw how close you and Slayerdramon had become. He wants you to be there for him."

My attention turned back to him, Rob and Dracomon.

"You gave Dorbickmon a second chance." Dracomon told me, "Why shouldn't Slayerdramon get one...?"

My answer to that was mere silence. They watched me grab my Xros Loader.

"Dorbickmon is still not awake from his battle against Millenniumon."

"Then use Paildramon." Rob told me. Pondering all these thoughts, they watched me leave the castle.

"...and be careful." Dorugamon muttered.

* * *

"Shoryūzanpa!"

Slayerdramon fired an energy wave from his blade, hitting a Deltamon and cutting it in half, as the beast disintegrated into data. Despite having taken care of over half of the group, the effort had drained Slayerdramon significantly since not only did he have to avoid them, but he had to fight Spinomon at the same time. Breathing heavily, his adrenaline rush faded as he dropped to one knee in exhaustion. Spinomon smirked.

"Now! Attack all at once!" he ordered.

"Triple Force!" the remaining six Deltamon roared. They charged up energy in the mouths of the three heads each individual Deltamon wielded, and fired the attack at Slayerdramon.

"Air Cutter!"

The two remaining Airdramon flapped their wings, firing two blades of air at Slayerdramon. Spinomon roared.

"Blue Prominence!"

All the attacks combined with the blue flames he shot out of his mouth, and hit Slayerdramon dead on. The dragon yelled.

"Grah!"

Spinomon smirked, and slowly walked up to the drake, who fell over in pain. Spinomon picked him up by the horn on the drake's snout. He grabbed the white Xros Loader that was given to Slayerdramon when he first joined them.

"You no longer have any use for this ID." the spinosaurus smirked. He crushed the fake device in his hand, which broke into nothing but pieces of metal. Slayerdramon's eyes winced, catching a blurred sight of the digimon.

"No more games..." Spinomon smirked. He hit Slayerdramon with repeated punches to the stomach, causing him to cough up blood.

"Guh!" the dragon groaned. Spinomon followed up by stabbing one of his claws into the side of Slayerdramon's left leg, immobilizing him. He let the drake go, who landed on his feet, but quickly dropped to his knees and collapsed.

"Heh...no friends to come save you...and no Ouryumon to hold your hand. How's it feel to die here with nothing left?" Spinomon teased the dragon, who could merely watch as the spinosaurus charged up Blue Prominence in his mouth. Spinomon was about to fire when an explosion occurred behind him.

"What?!" he turned around to see two Deltamon vanish into data, courtesy of a Paildramon that Slayerdramon recognized.

"Paildramon...?" Slayerdramon muttered, "But...that means..."

He looked over and noticed me, with my Xros Loader in hand.

"Reload, Guilmon." I ordered. The digimon appeared next to me, growling angrily.

"Guilmon, Shinka!"

Raising the Xros Loader, the screen emitted a bright light that engulfed the digimon, as it started to digivolve. He grew in size, now being a little over half Paildramon's height. He retained most of Guilmon's traits, such as his snout, face, scales, eye color, as well as the small wings on his head for ears and arms. But there was some notable differences. His chest and legs gained more muscle. The bottom of his neck down to his underbelly was covered in white scales and the dewclaw on the back of his foot was gone. His white claws were now black on the tips, and on his forearms, a blade protruded out of the outside, matching his red scales and having black scales on the edge. There was three black scars on his upper lip and lower jaw. The hazard sign on was no longer on his stomach, and his tail grew longer with the tip of it having three black rings on it. He gained two red horns on his head, which had black scales on the top, and he now had white hair on his head, which was grown out and spiky. The digimon roared.

"Growlmon!"

Spinomon growled, "Kill both of them!"

The remaining four Deltamon charged at us. Paildramon extended the spikes on his gauntlets into blades. The arm blades Growlmon had started emitting bright blue plasma.

"...go." I ordered.

"Dragon Slash!" Growlmon roared. With a movement of his forearms, he fired the two charged energy waves at a Deltamon, hitting its face. It stumbled back, allowing Paildramon to run up to it and kill the beast by stabbing it in the heart with Sting Strike. The Deltamon disintegrated into data. Spinomon growled at the sight. The Airdramon attacked with Air Cutter, but Paildramon and Growlmon avoided the attack.

"Pyro Blaster!" Growlmon charged up a huge fireball in his mouth and fired it, hitting an Airdramon out of the sky. Paildramon charged at a Deltamon, who tried to hit him with Triple Force. Paildramon avoided the attack and used all of his strength to grab Deltamon by the tail and swing him around, slamming the beast into the other two Deltamon. When he let the Deltamon go, the beast landed on top of the other two.

"Desperado Blaster!"

Paildramon fired a barrage of energy bullets, hitting the three Deltamon and killing them. Growlmon jumped into the air, grabbing the last Airdramon and slamming it on the ground next to the other one.

"Dragon Slash!" he roared. Charging up two blades of plasma, he hurled it at the two Airdramon, killing them. Spinomon snarled angrily. He swiftly charged at us and slammed into Paildramon's gut. The dragon stumbled back, but held his ground. Spinomon then managed to hit Growlmon with a powerful tail whip, knocking him back towards me. The digimon rose to his feet, growling angrily at Spinomon. The spinosaurus turned his attention towards me, growling.

"You...!" he glared.

"...you have ten seconds to scram before you find out what a real Xros Loader can do." I warned him. Paildramon and Growlmon started charging up their attacks.

"You have no idea who you're messing with...!" Spinomon snarled.

"I'll pretend that matters in five seconds..."

He gave Slayerdramon one last glare, "You got lucky this time Slayerdramon. I could easily take these two digimon, but I'm only after you. So savor the victory. When you finally decide to go after the boss, then we will settle the score!"

Spinomon fled to go live another day. Slayerdramon looked at me. He struggled but started dragging his injured body towards us.

"Kid..." he muttered. Storing Growlmon in the Xros Loader, I turned around and started heading back to Dorbickmon's Castle.

"W...wait..." Slayerdramon reached out his hand, "Please..."

Paildramon looked at me. Slayerdramon saw me turn around, giving him a look of disapproval and disappointment. He tried to get up, but the injury to his leg hindered him.

"Please...just...let me explain..." he tried to walk over to me, but he tripped and fell on the floor.

"You told me I wouldn't understand, and I don't. I don't understand why you would use us like that." he heard me mutter, "The only reason we saved you is because Ouryumon wanted me to look after you. But after how you lied to us..."

"That's...that's not what I meant by it..." he muttered, getting closer, "Please..."

"I don't know what to believe from you." my attention turned towards Paildramon, "Take him to the closest infirmary. Have them treat his wounds."

Walking away, Slayerdramon tried to follow.

"Kid, please!" he reached out his hand, but he soon started to pass out. "Please..."

He finally succumbed to his injuries. Paildramon walked over to him. He picked up the unconscious dragon and took him to a small hospital in Dragon City. Surprisingly, Sorcermon was there inside the building, and Paildramon handed Slayerdramon over to him, explaining what happened. The paramedics took the dragon and started treating his wounds. Slayerdramon was unconscious for the rest of the night, but as they treated his wounds, the paramedics could hear him keep muttering two words over and over again.

"I'm sorry..."

* * *

Author's Note: Dang...how much sadder can it get? XD For all those wondering, this is where anyone who really read's this gets tested on what has been given. To clarify a bit, remember when they were first introduce in chapter 14? Remember how Ouryumon talked about not wanting to do this again. Not wanting to use everyone they meet to hide form this so called organization? Well all that giant plot hole and him being not around so much has been mostly explained in this chapter. Now anyone who's been reading this knows what Ouryumon's been doing when he's not around, and what he and Slayerdramon's subplot is about.

Also, you find out what happened to the Code Crown now that the Digtial World is one big unified planet.


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: The Hunt Begins: The First Key.**

"MaloMyotismon!" DarkKnightmon called out. The behemoth walked into the darkened room his master was in, kneeling down in respect.

"What is it, my lord...?" he asked.

"It's time. We will begin hunting down each of the Death Generals." DarkKnightmon responded. MaloMyotismon smirked.

"I see...what do you have planned if Xros Hearts interferes...?"

"It's simple." DarkKnightmon smirked, "They will be too busy dealing with investigating small areas where dark energy is forming. With small numbers of our army in those locations, they'll be too busy with that diversion long enough for us to make our move." the knight explained.

"And which Death General do you plan to go after first...?" MaloMyotismon asked. DarkKnightmon laughed evilly.

"I'll start...with Splashmon the Water-Tiger!" the knight smirked. MaloMyotismon glanced at his master.

"Very well, then I shall go get one of your strongest soldiers to go with you." the beast rose to his feet and walk away, disappearing into the darkness of the room. DarkKnightmon turned and looked out the window, deep in thought.

_This time...there will be no saving any of the Death Generals from their doom. Nothing will stop me from obtaining what I desire..._

* * *

Slayerdramon's eyes winced, as he woke up from his deep slumber. He found himself in a small room with a window to his right. Looking down, he noticed he was on a bed, and rose to his feet. The dragon cringed in pain and looked down at his injured leg. He noticed it had been wrapped in bandages. Slayerdramon limped over to the window, looking outside. The dragon realized he was in Dragon City, however that wasn't what was bothering him. All the things Ouryumon warned him about when they first met Dorbickmon and the others resurfaced in his mind.

_What about the kid?! How do you think he'll feel when he finds out we conned him?!_

"Ouryumon..." Slayerdramon muttered, as the words kept circling in his mind.

_We can't keep doing this Slayerdramon...we can't keep lying to everyone we meet!_

"I should have listened to you..." Slayerdramon started to tear up. The door opened behind him, and he noticed a familiar white sorcerer digimon walk in.

"Oh good. You're awake." Sorcermon walked up to him.

"Sorcermon..." Slayerdramon muttered.

"Well, the good news is that your injuries are healed, and you'll be able to leave in a few minutes. You'll still feel pain in your leg, so don't overexert yourself unless you're stored into a Xros Loader afterward." Sorcermon explained. Slayerdramon looked down.

"Ok..." the dragon mumbled. Grabbing his Fragarach, he slowly walked out of the room. Sorcermon turned around.

"Hey." he called out to the drake, who glanced back at him with a saddened face.

"...whatever happened last night." Sorcermon muttered, "You should do whatever it takes to fix it."

Slayerdramon looked away, and Ouryumon's last words echoed in his head.

_I know you'll do the right thing in terms of which path you'll take next...stay close to our new friends...you'll need them now more than ever..._

Clenching his fist, Slayerdramon nodded in determination.

"I will." he muttered, walking away, "I'll do it for Ouryumon..."

* * *

Near Dorbickmon's Castle, I was in the small lake in the woods that Dorbickmon had shown me. Looking out at the huge lake, he was on the other side, meditating. Dorbickmon had woken up sometime before dawn, and had spent the last few hours sitting down, with his legs crossed, and focusing his mind. His injuries had healed since he was in the Xros Loader, which was a huge relief. Millenniumon had given him quite a beating. Paildramon was standing behind me, simply observing. The entire time he noticed that not a single word was uttered from my mouth.

"Is everything alright, Carlos...?" he asked, using my name since the subject was serious.

"...I'm fine Paildramon."

Walking away, we left Dorbickmon to his training, and headed back to the castle. Rob was there waiting with Dracomon.

"How's Dorbickmon doing?" Dracomon asked.

"He's fine..."

The dragon looked down, "Oh...ok..."

Walking inside, he and Rob looked over, recognizing a familiar silver dragon approaching.

"Wait." Rob told me, "Someone's walking over to see you."

Turning around, the sight of Slayerdramon standing a few feet from us caught my attention.

"Kid..." he muttered. My expression turned serious.

"...what do you want...?"

He hesitated, but kept talking, "Please...I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for lying to you all. I know you all think I'm a criminal...but it's not like that..."

Before he could continue, the communicators Shoutmon gave me and Rob started ringing. We answered the call.

"Hey." the voice was Shoutmon's.

"What is it Shoutmon?" I asked.

"I need you both over here, now. It's an emergency!" he exclaimed, shocking us all.

"We will be over there as soon as we can." Rob told him. After the call ended, Paildramon placed me on his shoulder. Dracomon digivolved into Wingdramon, and placed Rob on his back. Slayerdramon watched the two digimon take to the skies.

"Wait!" he called out to us, "Please, let me go with you!"

"After what you did to us and how much crime you committed, you're the last person I want an explanation from!" he heard me exclaim, "Shoutmon's call was an emergency. We don't have time to waste."

Paildramon and Wingdramon soared away. Slayerdramon watched them leave, shocked and saddened.

"Please..." he muttered, "I'm not the criminal you think I am..."

Despite how far he was, Slayerdramon chased after them, trying to keep up with the two.

When we arrived in Shoutmon's Castle, the four of us ran towards the throne room. Pushing the doors open, Shoutmon was inside looking at a holographic map of the entire Digital World that was similar to the one Examon had in his home.

"What's wrong?!" Dracomon asked. Looking at the map, we noticed many spots of what appeared to be dark energy blinking in many locations of the Seven Kingdoms.

"What do all of those dots mean...?" I asked the king.

"It means that there's a growing amount of dark energy in that area." the king clenched his fist, "Which only corresponds to one suspect..."

"DarkKnightmon..." Dracomon growled, "He must be planning something big..."

"I've called all the other members of Xros Heart." Shoutmon informed us, "We'll be having a meeting in a few minutes. I want you to be there."

"We will Shoutmon." Rob told him. We stayed with Shoutmon and waited for the other members to arrive. Taiki was the first to enter, with Tagiru, Gumdramon and Kiriha behind him.

"It has been a while." the blond haired boy looked at me.

"It has."

Dracomon ran up and hugged the boy. Kiriha placed a hand on the dragon's head.

"It's good to see you Dracomon." he told the digimon. A few minutes later, Beelzemon and Mervamon walked in.

"Sorry we're late." Beelzemon told Taiki, who smiled.

"It's been a while Taiki." an unfamiliar voice was heard. From behind Beelzemon and Mervamon, a girl walked up to Taiki. She had purple colored irises and her hair was brown, braided up into a pony tail that split into two long strands of hair that was held together by a yellow and pink hair clip. She wore a pink and white shirt with three pink buttons in the center, as well as green shorts and a red belt. White stockings and pink boots with a green line in the center made up the rest of her clothing. Next to her, another boy walked in, about the same height and age as Taiki. He had gray eyes, a yellow buttoned shirt and white jeans, as well as white and greens shoes. His hair was yellow and mostly round, but the ends of his hair pointed outwards. The front tuft of hair was shaped like a crescent moon turned upside down.

"It's good to see you, Nene, Yuu." Taiki smiled. After Dorulumon and Cutemon walked in, finishing the members of the main group of Xros Heart, they closed the doors behind them and the meeting started. Shoutmon showed them the map of the Digital World.

"As you can see...there seems to be a pandemic occurring in the entire world." Shoutmon explained, "Numerous locations seem to have dark energy growing in them."

"This must be the work of DarkKnightmon." Kiriha muttered.

"We'll need everyone to split up into groups and each group go investigate each area. If there is something causing the dark energy, we have to stop it. No matter what."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Each group consisted of a few Xros Heart members, leaded by either, Yuu, Nene, Taiki, Kiriha, Shoutmon, Dorulumon, Ballistamon, Beelzemon, or Mervamon.

"I'll lead the digimon from my army Blue Flare." Kiriha told them. Shoutmon turned to Rob.

"Do you have any other digimon that can help us?" he asked. Rob nodded and reloaded Dorugamon from his Xros Loader. The digimon stretched his wings.

"Thanks." the king smiled. Rob nodded in agreement as Dorugamon walked over to the king.

When all the groups were finished assembling, they all headed out, leaving Rob and I alone with Shoutmon and Taiki.

"I'd like both of you to help as well." Shoutmon looked at us, "Both of you go to Cyber Land and investigate anything of the areas there."

The two of us nodded in agreement.

"Be careful. Whatever DarkKnightmon has planned, he's probably two steps ahead of us by now." Taiki wanted us. Giving him one last nod, the two of us left the castle with Dracomon and Paildramon following. On our way out of the courtyard, we were surprised to see that Slayerdramon had followed us all the way here, and was walking up to us.

"Slayerdramon..." Rob muttered. The dragon looked at me.

"What happened?" he asked.

"There is a worldwide pandemic. We're going to Cyber Land to investigate anything strange in the city." Dracomon explained. Slayerdramon nodded in understanding.

"Let me help you." the dragon told us. Dracomon looked down, then turned to look at me. He noticed my silence. Slayerdramon glanced at me.

"Please...give me one more chance..." he muttered. It shocked him when he saw me walk past him. Paildramon followed, and placed me on his shoulder as he took flight and headed for Cyber Land.

"Why...? Why doesn't he give me a second chance...?" Slayerdramon muttered. He turned to face Rob and Dracomon, "Why...?"

"He trusted you." Dracomon responded, "All these times you helped him. He trusted you, and you lied to him that whole time."

"If he just lets me explain..."

"If you want that opportunity, then you're going to have to earn it." Dracomon interrupted him. Slayerdramon stayed silent, and watched as Dracomon digivolved into Wingdramon. Rob climbed on the dragon's back and Wingdramon took to the sky, following Paildramon.

"I'll try..." Slayerdramon muttered, and left the castle to start following us to Cyber Land. After a few hours of flight, Paildramon and Wingdramon arrived in Cyber Land, and we all noticed that everything seemed peaceful in the city.

"We'll split up and each search half of the kingdom. Then we will meet up in the city." I told Rob and Wingdramon, who nodded in agreement. They left to search the other side of the city while Paildramon helped me search the part of the city that was near the harbor. In terms of life, the citizens weren't in danger, and they simply went along with their daily lives. After searching our part of the city, Paildramon went over to the harbor, where it was lonely and silent.

"No one's here...something's wrong..."

Paildramon proceeded with caution. He heard what sounded like someone breathing heavily. He looked over, charging up the Desperado Blasters on his waist.

"Show yourself!" he ordered. Out of one of the alleyways in the warehouses, a man slowly trotted out. He was about the same height as Paildramon, with a white suit that had zippers on his ankles, kneecaps, stomach, chest and arms. His face had two stripes on the cheeks, and his hair was actually water that was styled like he grew it out. The digimon was severely injured, with many wounds on his body. It didn't take long to figure out who he was.

"Splashmon the Water-Tiger!"

Paildramon ran up to him and caught the digimon before he collapsed on the floor.

"Are you ok?!" Paildramon asked him. He looked up at the dragon, and recognized me.

"You...you're the kid who's always following Dorbickmon..." he muttered.

"Splashmon..."

"It seems you have the tendency to help those who don't deserve it." a familiar sinister voice echoed around us.

"DarkKnightmon..." I clenched my fist. Looking around, we found the knight standing on top of the roof of one of the warehouses in the harbor. The knight looked down at us.

"You certainly do know how to be an annoying pest..." the knight smirked.

"What did you do to Splashmon?!" he saw me glare at him.

"It's not what I did, but what I'm going to do." the knight showed us the Darkness Loader in his hand, "Of course there is the matter of you two..."

Paildramon fired Electric Bolt at DarkKnightmon, who leaped into the air to avoid it.

"Reload, Ghoulmon!" the knight yelled. Giving off a dark light, a beast appeared in front of us. It had one yellow eye for a face, and two others on both the palms of its hands. It had mainly gray skin, with a black helmet on its head with two spikes protruding out of the back of the object. It had a pair of dark red wings, as well as three claws on each hand and foot. The beast was almost as big as Paildramon.

"Damn it..." my attention turned to the beast in front of us.

"You will not stop me from acquiring what I am here for!" DarkKnightmon laughed evilly. The Darkness Loader emitted another dark light as another Ghoulmon landed behind us. The only difference between the two was that the one behind us had black skin. Growlmon reloaded from out of my Xros Loader, snarling at the Ghoulmon behind us. Paildramon stepped in front of me and Splashmon, and assumed a fighting stance. Both Ghoulmon did not seem fazed by the two.

"We will see how long these two get to play before you run out of options..." DarkKnightmon cackled. The two Ghoulmon had us surrounded. With Splashmon injured, the main priority was to get him somewhere safe, limiting our options.

"Paildramon, Growlmon, whatever it takes. We have to protect Splashmon!" I told the two. Both of them gave a quick nod and charged into battle. Both of them slammed into the two Ghoulmon, and it bought me time to use the communicator Shoutmon gave me to call Rob.

"Rob...you better answer..."

* * *

"See anything Wingdramon?" Rob asked the drake, who was searching the outskirts of the city.

"No...but there has to be something around here..." the dragon muttered. As they searched, Rob's communicator started ringing. The boy answered the call.

"What is it?" he asked. There was a lot of static interfering with the call.

"R...o...b...w...e...need...help..."

"Carlos?! What's wrong?!"

"Dark...Knight..."

"DarkKnightmon!" Wingdramon exclaimed, "He must be ambushing him and Paildramon!"

"Hold on! We're on our way!" Rob yelled. Wingdramon flapped his wings and turned around, heading back towards the city. Rob used his Xros Loader to open a map of the region.

"Where are they?!" Wingdramon asked. Rob noticed a small dot of dark energy near the harbor.

"The harbor!"

The dragon increased his speed. In a few minutes, they arrived at the harbor to see Paildramon get slammed into a building by one of the Ghoulmon.

"Paildramon!" Wingdramon exclaimed. The Ghoulmon ran inside the building, using its black skin to camouflage in the darkness of the building. The Ghoulmon swiftly knocked Paildramon around with a rapid barrage of attacks, and finished it by hitting him into the crates that were inside the warehouse. Wingdramon turned to his left to see Growlmon pinned to the wall of another warehouse as the gray Ghoulmon choked the dragon, punching Growlmon's stomach repeatedly.

"Where's Carlos...?!" Rob looked around. He spotted DarkKnightmon on the other side of the harbor, walking into one of the alleyways.

"Wingdramon, help Paildramon and Growlmon!" the boy jumped off the dragon's back and landed on the roof of one of the warehouses. He jumped down a few stacked up crates next to the buildings and landed on the floor, chasing after DarkKnightmon.

"You may think you have eluded us, but we will find you!" DarkKnightmon cackled. He turned the corner, expecting to find his target. He found nothing, and kept walking. Meanwhile, inside the building behind a few crates, the sounds of DarkKnightmon's footsteps could be heard.

"Are you ok?" I asked Splashmon, who was inside my Xros Loader.

"Y...you..." he muttered, "You let those two Digimon of yours distract those two Ghoulmon to give you time to store me in your Xros Loader and run..."

"You were injured. I'm not entirely sure what DarkKnightmon wants with you, but he won't have it."

The digimon stayed silent. He reloaded out of my Xros Loader, showing some signs of recovery.

"At least you're healing..."

A few seconds later, we heard the sound of someone crashing into the building from in front of us. Looking over from behind the crates, it was Paildramon that was hit inside through the outer wall of the building by the dark Ghoulmon.

"Paildramon!"

The dragon groaned in pain, turning over and slowly rising to his feet. Running over to the drake, the Ghoulmon spotted me and jumped at me. It's center eye started glowing, as it closed in on me. Before it could attack, it was blasted by a stream of water fired at a swift velocity. Turning around, the attack was from Splashmon.

"This makes us even." he told me, keeping his attention on the Ghoulmon.

"Thanks."

Paildramon managed to stand on his feet. As the Ghoulmon recovered from the attack, it gave him and Splashmon an opportunity to attack.

"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon fired a barrage of energy bullets from the blasters around his waist.

"Hydro Pressure!" Splashmon fired streams of water from his hands at an incredible speed. Both attacks hit the Ghoulmon dead on, damaging its body. While it was distracted, we took the opportunity to run out of the building, heading toward the docks. As we ran, the Ghoulmon took to skies and chased after us.

"Explosive Eye!" it bellowed in a deep voice. The Ghoulmon fired a beam of energy from its center eye. Paildramon grabbed me and jumped out of the way. Splashmon jumped to the side and turned around.

"Hydro Pressure!"

Ghoulmon was hit dead on by the attack, falling to the ground. As we continued running, we noticed the gray Ghoulmon in the sky, fighting against Wingdramon, surprising us.

"Wingdramon?! But...that means...!"

"Hey!"

Turning around, we noticed Rob running up to the three of us.

"You ok?!" he asked me.

"Yeah. You cut it a little close getting here..."

We watched as Wingdramon hit the Ghoulmon with Blaze Sonic Breath. The beast held off the attack and charged at Wingdramon. He grabbed the drake by the head and flipped him over, slamming the dragon on the ground. Wingdramon groaned in pain.

"Wingdramon!" Rob ran over to the drake. Another crash occurred behind us. Splashmon and I turned around to see DarkKnightmon walking out of the smoke.

"There you are..." the knight growled. From behind him, we saw Growlmon attack with Dragon Slash. DarkKnightmon quickly turned around, avoiding the attack. He ran up to the dragon, and hit the dragon's stomach and chest with two strong jabs. He then grabbed Growlmon by the arm and flipped him over, slamming him on the ground.

"Growlmon!" my eyes widened with shock. The dragon groaned in pain, nearly passing out.

"Pitiful attempt..." the knight scoffed. He turned to face Splashmon, "And now it's time to finish our little duel..."

"Splashmon..."

"Don't worry about me kid." the digimon told me, "Just focus on getting rid of those two Ghoulmon."

DarkKnightmon charged at us. Being the one he was after, Splashmon ran toward the other side of the harbor so the two could battle alone. DarkKnightmon followed after him.

"Be careful..."

The two Ghoulmon stood next to each other, with their gaze set on us.

"Wingdramon!" Rob called the dragon, "Get up!"

The dragon slowly rose to his feet, walking over to us. Paildramon stood in front of me.

"I'll go check on Growlmon. Try to hold them off!" they heard me yell. Paildramon and Wingdramon nodded and charged at the two Ghoulmon. Rob followed me as we checked on Growlmon.

"Wake up Growlmon!" the dragon heard me yell. His eyes winced slowly as he noticed us in front of him.

"You have to get up. We need you to help us."

The dragon slowly rose to his feet, snarling in pain. He let out a roar to show us that he's still got fight left in him.

"Good."

"What's the plan?" Rob asked me.

"I'll have Growlmon shoot a fireball up in the sky as a beacon. Wingdramon and Paildramon are strong, but they won't hold out for much longer. Hopefully someone sees it."

Rob nodded in agreement to the plan.

"I'll help." he told me, getting out his royal silver Xros Loader, "Reload, Tuskmon!"

The green tyrannosaurus appeared next to us, looking at Rob with his purple irises.

"Tuskmon, on our command, fire an attack into the air." Rob explained to the digimon, who nodded in understanding. Tuskmon and Growlmon stood next to each other.

"...go!" we ordered

"Pyro Blaster!" Growlmon roared.

"Horn Buster!" Tuskmon bellowed. Growlmon fired a fireball from his mouth into the air. Tuskmon charged up a laser beam from the center of where the two tips of the horns on his back were pointing and fired the attack at Growlmon's attack. The attacks caused an explosion in the sky.

"Again!" we yelled. Growlmon and Tuskmon repeated the procedure again, causing another explosion in the sky. As they continued, the two Ghoulmon have gained the upper hand against Paildramon and Wingdramon. The gray Ghoulmon hit Wingdramon in the face with Explosive Eye. The dragon fell back and crashed into a few of the stacked up crates near one of the warehouses, degenerating into Dracomon.

"Dracomon!" Rob exclaimed. As Paildramon attacked the dark Ghoulmon with Sting Strike, the other Ghoulmon snuck up behind him and hit the dragon with Explosive Eye. Paildramon groaned in pain and slouched forward, allowing the black Ghoulmon to knock the dragon towards the floor.

"Paildramon, hang in there!" I yelled.

"Death Arrow!" the two Ghoulmon bellowed. From the eyes in the palms of their hands., they fired arrows of energy at the dragon, hitting him in the arms and legs. One of the arrows grazed the side of Paildramon's waist. The dragon grunted in pain.

"Damn it...! We're in a bad situation...!"

The two Ghoulmon prepared an Explosive Eye attack to finish Paildramon off, but before they could fire, the two beasts were hit with an energy wave. Turning around, the attack was from the blade of a familiar dragon.

"Slayerdramon!" Rob exclaimed. The dragon ran in front of us.

"I followed after you two and saw the beacon when I entered the city." he informed us. The two Ghoulmon looked at Slayerdramon, who readied his sword. He charged at the two, who attacked him with Death Arrow. Slayerdramon avoided the assault and wrapped his sword around the black Ghoulmon.

"Koryūzanba!" the dragon roared. Pulling his sword away, he slashed the Ghoulmon's body. It roared in pain.

"Tenryūzanha!" Slayerdramon bellowed. He didn't give it any time to retaliate and finished the beast off by using a vertical swing to cut the beast in half. The black Ghoulmon deteriorated into data. The gray Ghoulmon backed away, firing Explosive Eye at Slayerdramon repeatedly. The dragon cringed in pain, but held off the attack and charged at the Ghoulmon.

"Shoryūzanpa!"

Slayerdramon fired an energy wave from his sword, hitting the beast. Slayerdramon quickly ran up and cut the beast in half with Tenryūzanha. The Ghoulmon deteriorated into data with one final cry of pain. Slayerdramon glanced at me for a moment, before walking over to Paildramon. He helped the dragon stand up.

"Thanks..." Paildramon muttered. Slayerdramon nodded slowly.

Paildramon and Growlmon were stored into my Xros Loader while Dracomon and Tuskmon were stored into Rob's.

"Take a well deserved rest you two..." I muttered. As Slayerdramon walked up to me and Rob, we heard the sound of Splashmon yelling in pain.

"Splashmon!"

We ran over to the other side of the harbor to see the digimon on the floor unconscious. DarkKnightmon was standing in front of him, and gave us an evil smirk.

"And so...it begins." he laughed sinisterly, and showed us a cerulean colored diamond in his hand. Before we could reach him, he disappeared through a portal using his Super Dimensional Ax technique to escape. The event angered me.

"Damn it...! Even after defeating the Ghoulmon, he still won...!"

"Carlos..." Slayerdramon muttered. We wasted no time and stored Splashmon into my Xros Loader before going to find help. We traveled all the way to Bright Land to have Apollomon help us. He had Splashmon placed in one of the rooms in his castle, and he checked the digimon for anything wrong. We waited outside until he walked out of the room an hour later.

"Well?"

"He's in a state of unconsciousness." Apollomon told us, "His injuries aren't fatal, but he has lost a tremendous amount of data, which could take days to reaccumulate."

"Oh..."

"I'll let him rest here, then I'll take him to Shoutmon's Castle so DarkKnightmon can't finish the job." the lion informed us. Nodding in agreement, we left him to head back to Dragon Land. As we traveled, Slayerdramon looked at me.

"Kid..." he muttered. He noticed the look of doubt on my face.

"...you came back to save us..." I muttered.

"Whatever it takes, I want to prove that I'm not the criminal you think I am..." he told me. After a moment of silence, he saw me glance at him.

"Meet me in Dorbickmon's Castle. Tonight."

On that note, he and Rob watched me walk away, heading out of Apollomon's Castle.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for it being a bit late. In terms of the battles, since I have to accommodate for Slayerdramon's side plot, the first few hunts for the Death Generals will be short, but they will get progressively longer, much like how it was done in Arc One in terms of battles.


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: The Second Key: A Difficult Struggle**

Night fell and Slayerdramon walked in through the castle gates as expected, with Rob and Dracomon following behind him. Paildramon and I were in the foyer waiting.

"Carlos..." Slayerdramon muttered. Taking a deep breath, he noticed me glance at my Xros Loader.

"Ten minutes..." they heard me mutter, "You have ten minutes to explain everything."

Rob and Dracomon walked over to me before turning around to face Slayerdramon. The dragon sighed deeply as he sat down on the floor with his legs crossed. He glanced at the floor and cleared his throat before beginning to tell us his story.

"...I grew up with a strict father..." Slayerdramon muttered, "He'd make me train non-stop each day as a child, and he would hit me if my performance was even a slight bit wrong. He taught me how to kill, lie, and cheat my way through life. I hated every minute I was with him. He didn't care about me at all...but, then one day, I met Ouryumon. He was a Ryudamon at the time, and I found out that he had a life similar to mine. When we met, he had just gotten into a fight with his dad and was bruised up pretty badly. Being around him, it was like I found someone who understood the pain and misery I was going through. We'd sneak out of our homes every night from that point on to go have fun together."

"Slayerdramon..." Dracomon muttered.

"Then...his father left with him." Slayerdramon kept talking, and found it harder to continue the story, "I was heartbroken that day...it was like I was all alone again...and it wasn't even a month before my father abandoned me for no reason...he didn't even tell me why...after that, I had to live on by myself...having to steal food to survive and living in a small shed I made out of a few trees. As I grew up into a Coredramon and then Wingdramon, all these experiences made me very rebellious. I'd go out and do whatever the hell I wanted to without knowing the consequences. It wasn't until I challenged a traveling Hisaryumon that I started to change my ways..."

"That Hisaryumon turned out to be Ouryumon, didn't it...?" Rob asked. Slayerdramon nodded slowly.

"Yes...he explained to me that his father had abandoned him a few days after he and I were separated. From then on, the two of us traveled together, and we would try to start over..."

"...then what happened?" I asked. He took a deep breath, and continued.

"And then...this organization of digimon recruited us...giving us a temporary home in exchange for carrying out the orders they gave us. While we were with them, Ouryumon and I got stronger and we were able to digivolve. However, by that time, the orders we were carrying out were getting dangerous. We didn't expect to be breaking the law. Ouryumon was nearly killed in one mission, and you already know about me..."

We stayed silent. Slayerdramon had a look of deep regret on his face.

"...that story Shoutmon told me about...what happened...?"

"...the first time I was arrested, it was merely because of theft." Slayerdramon explained, "But the second time...I purposely let myself get caught..."

"What do you mean...?" Dracomon asked.

"The Spinomon you saw attacking me..." Slayerdramon looked at me, "He is the second-in-command. He had ordered me to kill three digimon who were innocent of any crime, and weren't affiliated with the organization in any way. Spinomon sent me and three other digimon from the organization to make sure the job was carried out. But I couldn't bring myself to carry out the order...so I let the innocent live and killed the three who were part of the organization. The innocent ones were part of the law enforcement, so by the time they found out, I had killed the third digimon that came with me, and they arrested me."

We stayed silent, letting Slayerdramon's story sink into our minds. He continued telling the tale.

"After I was released, Ouryumon and I were on the organization's hit list. For the entire time we were running, we didn't know why...but Spinomon explained it to me the night he attacked. The reason our fathers left us was because they tried to destroy that organization that same night. And now, Spinomon pointed out that Ouryumon and I were following in their footsteps..."

"Slayerdramon..." Dracomon muttered.

"...all this time, we didn't know why we were running, and we hated our fathers for all the pain they caused us...and they were trying to destroy the organization they were part of the entire time..." Slayerdramon looked at us, tearing up. "We might have learned the wrong lessons from them, but those moments when we worked together with you and Dorbickmon...they were real..."

He rose to his feet, looking at me, "Don't blame Ouryumon...he was telling me from the beginning not to lie to you...please forgive me kid..."

I stayed silent. His story was a lot to process, and he cleared up a lot of doubts that we had.

"This organization...does it have a name...?"

"No." Slayerdramon responded, "Officially, it doesn't have one. That's how it's able to operate without getting caught. They have no trace, and any member who gets arrested doesn't talk about its existence. The members however, are all Digimon, so the members simply nicknamed it the D Organization."

"...this organization ruined your life...and I bet you want revenge..."

"I want to destroy the organization so that no one suffers from them. Ouryumon killed all the members who were still part of it at this time and now it's just Spinomon and the leader left..."

Walking up to Slayerdramon, he noticed the stern expression on my face.

"I won't be able to stop you from this...but I don't want anything bad to happen..."

Slayerdramon stayed silent. Paildramon walked up to me from behind.

"Kid...I wish to go with Slayerdramon." he told me.

"Paildramon..."

"He will need help to defeat these digimon..."

"There won't be any guarantee about whether you make it back in one piece..."

"I'm willing to take that risk..." Paildramon told me. Looking back at Slayerdramon, he nodded slowly.

"If things get bad...I expect that you don't let your thirst for revenge blind you from saving a friend..."

Slayerdramon didn't answer. Paildramon walked over to him, and the two started walking out of the castle.

"Where is the hideout of this organization?!" I called out to Slayerdramon. He turned around to face me.

"The main base of operations is near the land in the middle of Bright Land and Canyon Land..." he muttered, giving me only that hint before he left with Paildramon. Rob walked up to me.

"He'll do the right thing..." he told me.

"He has to..."

* * *

The following morning, we headed over to Shoutmon's Castle to check on how he and the others were handling the pandemic that was occurring. Walking into the throne room, the king and Taiki were the only ones inside. They turned around and noticed us walking in.

"Hey, how's the investigation going?" Rob asked.

"We've gotten rid of some of the areas where dark energy is emanating from. Unfortunately with every one we get rid of, another three appear." Shoutmon explained.

"We have also discovered that each area has a small number of evil digimon in the area." Taiki added.

"I see..." Rob nodded in understanding. Stepping in front of Rob, we changed the subject.

"Is Splashmon ok...?"

"He's still unconscious." Shoutmon responded, "Apollomon told us what happened to him."

"I see..."

"What did DarkKnightmon want with Splashmon?" Taiki asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but it has got to be connected to all these areas of dark energy popping up everywhere. You should worry about clearing those areas out first. Once I have figured it out, I'll tell you guys."

"Alright." Shoutmon nodded, "We've sent some Xros Heart members to Cyber Land, but we'll need one of you to go to Vampire Land and investigate there. The other will have to go to Gold Land."

"I'll go investigate Vampire Land." I told them.

"Dracomon and I will take Gold Land." Rob responded.

"Both of you be careful." Taiki told us. He turned to me, "If you need help in Vampire Land, then use the communicator to call Yuu. He's the closest one to that Kingdom."

"I will."

As we walked out, Rob looked at me. "If DarkKnightmon attacks again, you won't last long with only Growlmon."

"I know, but I'll get some help, so don't worry."

"Alright."

As we walked out, we noticed that Dorbickmon was outside the castle near the trail that leads back to Dragon Land. However it wasn't just him there. Olegmon and Gravimon were with him, as well as two other digimon. One of the two was an elf digimon with purple hair. He wore a green elf cap with a yellow ring on the end of it, and his armor was yellow and green. The yellow plates of armor protecting his legs resembled teeth on the top, much like the breastplate he wore. His green gauntlets were forged into crossbows, and he had arrows pinned to the green armor on his shoulders The green pants he wore had many brown belts around them, and he wore yellow shoes that looked like they had red eyes and teeth, as well as two horns protruding out of the sides. On the back of his waist, there was a huge bow attached to him, with a huge red steel arrow as well. He wore a tarp near his groin, and he had an extendable metal arm on his back. He had gray eyes, and his teeth were fangs. The emblem of a tree was adorned to the plate of armor on his stomach.

"Zamielmon the Wood-Spirit..." I muttered, looking over to the other digimon. "That means the other digimon is NeoVamdemon the Moon-light."

NeoVamdemon had dark yellow hair that was spiked back, and a purple mask that covered his forehead and eyes. His purple armor was very similar to Dorbickmon's. It had spikes protruding out of the shoulder plates, as well as from his groin guard and from the bottom of his breastplate, which had six red eyes and the symbol of a crescent moon on a plate of armor situated in the center. He had long arms and his gauntlets had six purple spikes near the wrists, and silver spikes protruding out of the sides and near the elbows. His shin guards had four spikes protruding out of the kneecap, and his boots were a darker shade of purple with small fangs near the ends. His eyes were red with no iris, and his neck collar had four spikes protruding out of it. Walking over to them, we could hear them all talking.

"DarkKnightmon has gotten one of us. There's no telling who he will go after next." Zamielmon muttered. The other Death Generals looked at each other. All except Dorbickmon, who was simply resting his back on the wall that surrounded the castle with his arms crossed.

"It is best to stay on guard from now on." NeoVamdemon advised, "Any one of us is in danger."

"Right..." Olegmon nodded in agreement.

"Looks like they heard about what happened to Splashmon." I looked at Rob, who nodded.

"Yeah..."

NeoVamdemon looked over, and spotted the two of us with Dracomon. "Who are those two humans...?" he gave us a slight glare. Zamielmon and Olegmon looked over at us as well. Since there was no point in hiding, the three of us walked over to them.

"Who are you two...?" NeoVamdemon asked me and Rob. Zamielmon walked up to us.

"Hang on...I heard that two humans helped Splashmon when DarkKnightmon attacked." the digimon muttered. He pointed at me. "Him especially. If I recall correctly..." Zamielmon turned to look at Dorbickmon, "He's your so-called 'partner'."

That word seem to have angered Dorbickmon, who walked over.

"Leave." he growled at the two of us, "This does not concern you..."

"It does if DarkKnightmon ends up going after you." the expression on my face was serious. Dorbickmon snarled at me, and then turned to Olegmon.

"Get him out of here! Before I do it myself..." the dragon snarled. Olegmon sighed.

"Alright..."

The digimon escorted us back to the castle gates. Gravimon looked at Dorbickmon.

"You don't seem to respect the one who thinks of you as his partner..."

Dorbickmon snarled at him, "Let me make this clear...that brat is not my partner! He never will be! And once I get what I want from him, I will get rid of him...understand...?"

Gravimon scoffed, "That pride of yours is blinding. And by the time you realize your mistake, it'll be too late."

"Hmph...whatever..." Dorbickmon walked away from the three, heading towards Dragon Land. Meanwhile, Olegmon took Rob and I back into the castle courtyard.

"Don't worry about him." Olegmon told me, "He can be very stubborn when it comes to working as a team..."

"Yeah, I know..."

He walked away, leaving me with Rob and Dracomon.

"Let's head over to our destinations. We have other things to worry about besides Dorbickmon's usual stubbornness." Rob told me.

"Right..."

Dracomon digivolved into Wingdramon and we climbed onto his shoulders. He took flight and headed towards Dragon Land.

The two dropped me off in Dragon City as requested before taking flight again.

"Good luck!" Rob yelled at me before Wingdramon sped off to Gold Land. Walking into the city, the thought of how to investigate Vampire Land circled in my mind. With only Growlmon in the Xros Loader, DarkKnightmon could easily catch us off guard in an ambush. However, an idea hit me while passing by the casino that WereGarurumon and BlackMachGaogamon owned. Walking inside, the two of them were near the entrance. They glanced over and spotted me.

"It's been a long time kid." BlackMachGaogamon smiled.

"It has." I walked up to them, "Listen, I'm finally calling that favor you two owe me from last time."

"What do you need?" WereGarurumon asked. For the next few minutes, they were filled in on what was happening in the Seven Kingdoms.

"I see..." BlackMachGaogamon nodded in understanding.

"So, will either of you help?"

WereGarurumon stepped forward, "I'll help. It's been a long time since I've fought in battle."

"What about you BlackMachGaogamon?"

"I'm afraid I have to stay back and take care of the casino." he explained, "Plus, I'm not a very good fighter..."

"He's not very experienced in battle." WereGarurumon explained.

"I see...alright then. Thanks though."

"Good luck to you two." the black wolf smiled. Walking out of the casino with WereGarurumon, he placed me on his back.

"Hold on tight!" the wolf told me. I grabbed him by the shoulders. WereGarurumon got down on all fours and ran off towards Vampire Land at a surprisingly fast speed. We traveled over the mountain range and arrived in the kingdom after passing by Death Crater. WereGarurumon stood up and started walking around.

"Alright, now where do we start?" he asked me. While searching for an area emanating dark energy with my Xros Loader, we heard an explosion occur far away, surprising us. The wolf started running towards the source. We discovered that the smoke was coming from a very old, worn-out castle. It was composed of black bricks, and many sections of the castle were broken and damaged. It also looked as if the castle had the wings of a bat. The castle was situated at the top of the cliff.

"That's NeoVamdemon's Castle!" I exclaimed. WereGarurumon ran over as fast as he could. Using the communicator, we contacted Yuu.

"Yuu, I need your help! NeoVamdemon's home is being attacked!"

"What?!" the boy exclaimed.

"It has to be DarkKnightmon! We won't be able to fight him by ourselves!"

"Alright, I'll get over there as soon as I can! Stall him if necessary!"

The call ended. WereGarurumon increased his speed as we headed towards the castle. When we walked inside the foyer, which was composed of dark orange bricks with many columns providing the foundation, we watched as the roof of the room was broken, and NeoVamdemon was the one who was slammed through the wall, as he fell towards the floor.

"NeoVamdemon!"

He crashed into the ground. As we ran up to him, DarkKnightmon landed in front of us. The knight pointed the screen of the Darkness Loader at NeoVamdemon. It emanated a dark light that hit NeoVamdemon as a violet colored diamond appeared from his chest. DarkKnightmon smirked.

"That makes two." he turned to face me and WereGarurumon. "And as expected, you would try to get in the way..."

Growlmon reloaded out of my Xros Loader, snarling at DarkKnightmon.

"We will do anything to stop you..." I clenched my fist. DarkKnightmon chuckled evilly.

"Very well..." he kicked the unconscious NeoVamdemon away. The digimon slid to a stop near a huge staircase leading to a second floor.

"I will play with you three..." DarkKnightmon smirked. WereGarurumon and Growlmon stepped in front of me.

"Ten minutes..." DarkKnightmon muttered, "I'll spare ten minutes so you can try and entertain me with your futile efforts..."

WereGarurumon growled at the knight, as did Growlmon.

"Be careful WereGarurumon. He's got many tricks up his sleeves." the wolf heard me warn him. WereGarurumon and Growlmon charged at DarkKnightmon.

"Wolf Claw!" WereGarurumon roared. The wolf slashed at DarkKnightmon with his claws, which left a streak of yellow light with three red stripes when he missed. DarkKnightmon swiftly moved around, avoiding WereGarurumon's assault. He blocked the wolf's last attack and hit him with a strong uppercut. WereGarurumon stumbled back, and DarkKnightmon took the opportunity to hit the wolf away with a strong kick to the stomach. WereGarurumon crashed into the wall as Growlmon charged at DarkKnightmon.

"Dragon Slash!" the dragon charged up a plasma wave on the arm blades he wielded and fired it at the knight. DarkKnightmon avoided the attack and slammed into the dragon's stomach, who growled in pain. While DarkKnightmon was distracted, WereGarurumon took the opportunity to strike.

"Garuru Kick!"

With a roundhouse kick, the wolf fired a yellow and blue energy wave from his foot at the knight. DarkKnightmon smirked, and grabbed the Darkness Loader after hitting Growlmon into a column that fell on top of the drake.

"Xros Open!"

A dark light blinded WereGarurumon and Growlmon. DarkKnightmon split into two digimon: SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon. SkullKnightmon was DarkKnightmon's original form, being much shorter than when he's DarkKnightmon. His Twin Spear was now two individual weapons that he wielded in his hands. DeadlyAxemon was the digimon he digixrosses with. The beast's front legs were the exact same as DarkKnightmon's, and the digimon wielded the W crest on it's head for a helmet with an additional spike protruding out of the middle. The back DeadlyAxemon's body was the same as the ax head that DarkKnightmon wielded on his shoulder, and had two smaller mechanical legs on the bottom that were the color gold. Its neck was a red steel pipe which was also the same armor that was part of DeadlyAxemon's mouth and face. It glared at us with its yellow eyes.

"We will see how well you can hold up against us without Dorbickmon or Slayerdramon to come to your rescue." SkullKnightmon smirked as he turned to face WereGarurumon.

The knight charged and caught the wolf off guard by using his speed to hit WereGarurumon with a strong left hook to the cheek. DeadlyAxemon assaulted Growlmon by slamming into the dragon repeatedly at near lightning speed. Both digimon tried fighting back. Growlmon attacked with numerous plasma blades fired from his arm blades and fireballs from his mouth, but DeadlyAxemon was far too swift to be hit. The beast knocked Growlmon around with numerous body slams, hitting the dragon through a wall. Growlmon fell back, exhausted and groaning in pain from wasting so much energy. DeadlyAxemon finished him off with a body slam to the dragon's abdomen.

"Damn it...!" I gritted my teeth, "They're strong...but WereGarurumon and Growlmon just have to hold them off until Yuu gets here..."

SkullKnightmon assaulted WereGarurumon with many attacks to the wolf's body using his spears. As the wolf stumbled back, he groaned in pain and tried to retaliate. He dodged one of DarkKnightmon's spears and hit the knight in the stomach with Garuru Kick, knocking him away. WereGarurumon chased after him.

"Wolf Claw!" the wolf roared. He hit SkullKnightmon with a few blows to the head, and his claws scratched the knight's armor as he was hit away with another Garuru Kick. SkullKnightmon hit the ground hard as WereGarurumon ran over to him.

"Wolf Claw!"

He was about to strike when DeadlyAxemon hit WereGarurumon from behind with a strong body slam.

"Guh!" the wolf hit the floor and slid into a stop, being a few feet from Growlmon. SkullKnightmon rose to his feet and walked over. He started beating the wolf's abdomen. The digimon groaned in pain, trying to withstand the assault despite low energy. DeadlyAxemon on the other hand, stomped Growlmon's stomach similarly, keeping the exhausted dragon pinned to the floor. It wasn't looking good for us.

"Damn it..."

When both SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon finished their assaults, both Growlmon and WereGarurumon were down for the count.

"DigiXros..." SkullKnightmon rose the Darkness Loader in the air. He and DeadlyAxemon digixrossed back into DarkKnightmon. He turned around and approached me slowly.

"A poor performance as usual..." he mocked me, "Your skills as a general are pathetic to say the least. It's no wonder you let Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon come to your rescue..."

Once he was in front of me, he raised his Twin Spear in the air.

"Allow me to spare you the agony of defeat..." he laughed evilly. With WereGarurumon and Growlmon out cold, there wasn't any digimon left in my arsenal. My body almost became a carcass when a projectile hit DarkKnightmon's hand. He cringed in pain and dropped his spear. Both of us looked at the attacker. It was a digimon wearing gold boots and gauntlets in the shape of a golden dumbbell. His clothes were the same color, and he had plates of armor on his pants, which was connected to his shirt as a full body suit with zippers. He wore a black belt on his waist and had armor on his shoulders that was gold and connected to a white breastplate that reached up to his neck. He had a golden helmet in the shape of a cone on his heat that had a red triangle above the white plate of armor protecting his forehead. On his back and behind his belt, he wielded white blades. There was four of them on his back and two on the back of his belt. We saw the projectile return to him as he caught it and placed it on his back, revealing it to be a golden sickle blade. There was a black cube on his back, where the four blades on his back were connected to. He had black eyes and his breastplate had an X in the center. DarkKnightmon recognized the digimon.

"Well, well, well...if it isn't my old partner..." the knight muttered. From behind the digimon that saved me, Yuu walked in front of him.

"DarkKnightmon..."

"Amano Yuu...it's been so long since we last met..." the knight smirked. Yuu turned around.

"Tuwarmon, don't hold back." he told the digimon. Tuwarmon nodded and charged at DarkKnightmon at a speed almost as fast as DeadlyAxemon.

"Mantis Dance!"

The blades on Tuwarmon's back connected together around his body as he spun around at blistering speeds, making it look like he was a drill. DarkKnightmon jumped away to avoid the attack. Yuu ran up to me while I tried to wake up WereGarurumon and Growlmon.

"Are you alright?!" he asked.

"Yeah...but these two aren't..." my attention stayed on WereGarurumon, who had received the most damage. Eventually, the wolf started waking up.

"Urghh..." he groaned in pain. His eyes winced, and he noticed the two of us.

"Hey...are you alright? Can you still fight?"

"Try and stop me..." he muttered. WereGarurumon slowly rose to his feet, groaning in pain. My attention turned to Growlmon, who wasn't waking up.

"Wake up Growlmon! You can't stop now! We have to stop DarkKnightmon before he can escape! I know you have some fight left in you!"

My words seem to have reached the dragon, who rose to his feet slowly. His eyes shot open and he let out a loud roar. Growlmon started emanating an aura of light, which could only mean one thing. I raised my Xros Loader in the air.

"Growlmon, Chou Shinka!"

The light engulfed the dragon, who grew in size tremendously. His legs bulked up in muscle again, and his tail grew longer. They retained the same traits that Growlmon had. His waist and belly were a bit smaller, and the most noticeable change was his whole upper body. His arms were now two large metal gauntlets with arm blades of steel attached to them. They were connected to a huge piece of armor the dragon wielded on his upper body that was red on top and silver on the bottom. There was two gun ports on the sides of his chest, where the hazard sign he had as a Guilmon reappeared in the center. The armor had two silver vernier thrusters on the dragon's shoulders that protruded outwards, giving him the ability of flight. His mouth and lower jaw were now made of metal, which was red around the edge and had spikes protruding out of the ends. His eyes were still yellow, and he still retained the white hair on his head. The top of his snout was not mechanized, and he had a long metal cord protruding out of the back of his armor. The cord was sharp on the tip as the digimon roared loudly.

"WarGrowlmon!"

Tuwarmon and DarkKnightmon looked over at the beast, surprised.

"Hmph...so he managed to digivolve the drake..." DarkKnightmon scoffed, unfazed by this turn of events.

"This will help turn the tide..." Yuu looked at DarkKnightmon, who jumped away from Tuwarmon.

"We'll see..." he raised the Darkness Loader in the air, "Xros Open!"

He was engulfed in the darkness as he split up into SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon.

"Tuwarmon will handle SkullKnightmon. Have your digimon focus on DeadlyAxemon." Yuu told me.

"Right."

"A simple digivolution won't help you!" SkullKnightmon yelled as he charged at Tuwarmon. Tuwarmon transformed the projectile he launched before into a pair of golden nunchuk, which were connected through an electric wire and the two engaged in close combat. The two read each others' moves and dodged them easily. While they fought, DeadlyAxemon glared at WereGarurumon and WarGrowlmon. The beast charged straight at them, giving me an idea.

"WarGrowlmon, stay in the air! WereGarurumon, don't stay in one place! Keep moving!"

WarGrowlmon charged up the vernier thrusters on his shoulders and flew upwards, hovering in the air. WereGarurumon moved to the side to avoid DeadlyAxemon, who had to slow down to be able to turn.

"Now! Attack him before he regains his speed!"

"Garuru Kick!" WereGarurumon roared, firing a yellow and blue energy wave from his foot. The gun ports on WarGrowlmon's chest gathered energy

"Atomic Blaster!" the cyborg roared, as he fired two streams of blue energy that had red rings appearing around it. DeadlyAxemon jumped away to avoid the attacks, but WereGarurumon ran up to the beast and hit it in the face with a strong punch. He continued the assault with a Wolf Claw attack, scratching the beast's armor.

"Radiation Blades!" WarGrowlmon soared up to DeadlyAxemon and cut the beast's armor with his two arm blades before he kicked the beast away with the help of WereGarurumon, who landed another blow to DeadlyAxemon's face before the digimon could retaliate. As they gained the advantage, Tuwarmon blocked one of SkullKnightmon's spears and kicked the knight away.

"Mantis Dance!" the digimon bellowed. He managed to hit SkullKnightmon this time, who was hit away towards DeadlyAxemon.

"You got lucky..." he growled. WereGarurumon, WarGrowlmon and Tuwarmon surrounded the two digimon. SkullKnightmon smirked.

"Though I hope you enjoyed that little time with the advantage." he raised the Darkness Loader in the air. "DigiXros!" The two digimon digixrossed back into DarkKnightmon. "Our little game has come to an end...and I still won..."

He grabbed the ax head on his shoulder. My eyes widened with shock.

"Attack him before he gets away!" Yuu ordered.

"Wolf Claw!" WereGarurumon roared.

"Atomic Blaster!" WarGrowlmon bellowed. Tuwarmon transformed his nunchuck into a boomerang projectile and threw it at DarkKnightmon. The knight managed to escape using his Super Dimensional Ax technique before the attacks made impact. A huge explosion occurred, and when it faded, the knight was gone and he still had the diamond he took from NeoVamdemon's body.

"Damn it! He got away again!" I yelled. We all ran over to the unconscious NeoVamdemon. "Yuu, please take him to Shoutmon's Castle." my attention turned to the boy.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked.

"I've figured out what this is all about. I'll explain it to Taiki and the others once Xros Heart takes care of all those dark areas popping up."

Storing WarGrowlmon in the Xros Loader, WereGarurumon let me climb on his back and we started heading back towards Dragon Land.

_ I just hope Dorbickmon's back in the castle..._

* * *

Author's Note: Another chapter done. Most of the fighting between NeoVamdemon and DarkKnightmon happened offscreen since I had to finish up Slayerdramon's backstory. His subplot also needs to be accommodated.


	36. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: The Third Key: The Extent of Revenge**

When we arrived back in Dorbickmon's Castle, I jumped off of WereGarurumon's back.

"Thanks for helping."

"If you need help again, I'll gladly accept another chance to smash that knight's face in." WereGarurumon told me. After saying goodbye, we parted ways. Heading inside the castle, my search for the dragon began.

"You better be inside Dorbickmon..."

My search turned up with nothing. He wasn't in any room, and after three hours of searching, there was one room that wasn't checked. Walking into Dorbickmon's room, he was not inside, which was unfortunate considering what has been happening in the Digital World. Running out, Dorbickmon caught me leaving his room, which angered him.

"What were you doing in there?!" the dragon barked.

"I was looking for you! We need to talk!"

"Hmph! I have better things to do than to waste my time talking!" Dorbickmon stormed out of the castle, but he wasn't getting rid of me that easily.

"I know what DarkKnightmon is after!"

The dragon stopped in his tracks. He turned around and gave me a glare.

"...what...?!" he snarled.

"Remember what Examon talked to us about? About how he believed that you and the other Death Generals contained the seven keys that would unlock ExoGrimmon's cell? Both Splashmon and NeoVamdemon had an object shaped like a diamond that was taken from their bodies by DarkKnightmon. He's hunting after those seven objects!"

Dorbickmon scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous! Examon's story was a nothing but a simply myth!"

"I saw it with my own eyes! It's clear as crystal!"

Dorbickmon started to walk away again. At this point, his behavior was irritating me.

"You stubborn drake! You don't even respect a Royal Knight! At least he can put up a fight with DarkKnightmon!"

My comment angered Dorbickmon furiously. He surprised me by using Burning the Dragon to raise a few stalactites from the ground to trap me. He walked over, giving me a cold glare.

"You worthless little brat! You dare insult me?!" he roared, "You have no idea how close you are to getting crushed by me..."

"You refuse to acknowledge this is all happening! You're unable to work with others as a team! Examon would be doing everything he could to be helping the Death Generals!"

"If you idolize him so much, then why don't you go join him instead?!" Dorbickmon barked.

"Because I'm your partner! Examon made us partners for a reason! Even if every part of you hates me, I will still be around to help you!"

"Hmph!" Dorbickmon finally had enough of my 'annoyances' and stormed off, leaving me trapped in the rocks.

"If you think that this will keep me trapped, you're wrong Dorbickmon!"

He didn't respond and left me there. A few minutes after he was gone, I made my move.

"Reload, WarGrowlmon!"

The cyborg heard my call and appeared from out of my Xros Loader. He broke the stalactites into pieces with his claws, and kneeled down to look at me.

"Thanks WarGrowlmon. We have to follow Dorbickmon. He's not getting away from us that easily."

The cyborg nodded slowly. He picked me up and placed me on his shoulder. He walked out of the castle, and charged up the vernier thrusters on his shoulders. WarGrowlmon hovered in the air and sped off.

"Follow Dorbickmon, but make sure he doesn't see you."

The cyborg barked in understanding and flew off. WarGrowlmon shared a similar trait with Millenniumon in that his speech hasn't fully developed yet. Nevertheless, he was very reliable and strong. We followed Dorbickmon from the sky, and he led us towards Canyon Land. The dragon entered the caves, not knowing that we were following him. We followed him inside, and Dorbickmon led us into a familiar town, Rhinestone City. It led me to believe that he was going to go meet someone familiar.

"He must be planning to go see Gravimon."

We continued to follow Dorbickmon, who led us toward the back of the city. He turned a familiar switch to the side, and a huge rock moved to the side, revealing a secret entrance. My mind flashed back to when Shoutmon, Gumdramon and I first discovered this entrance. After coming back to my senses, WarGrowlmon walked over. He repeated the same procedure Dorbickmon did, and the entrance opened slowly.

"Thanks for the help WarGrowlmon. Stay in the Xros Loader for now. It will be easier to avoid getting caught."

The cyborg nodded in understanding. He placed me on the ground before returning into the Xros Loader. Walking inside, the entrance closed behind me. The cave was completely darkened, leaving me with no way of knowing where to go. Using the Xros Loader to view a map of the vicinity, the light emanating from the screen was enough to give me a sense of direction. Traversing the cavern, it took a few minutes until the end of the cavern was in sight. Looking around the familiar hideout, there was a rock big enough for me to hide behind. Using it to conceal myself and looking over the stone, my assumption was correct. Dorbickmon was meeting with Gravimon.

"NeoVamdemon was just attacked recently..." Gravimon muttered, "Amano Yuu has taken him to Shoutmon's Castle..."

"Wow...news spreads fast..." I muttered. Gravimon crossed his arms.

"Two Death Generals have been taken out...our entire plan to get revenge on DarkKnightmon has fallen apart..."

"They were careless..." Dorbickmon growled in his usual angered state.

"Were they?" Gravimon asked the drake, "Or was DarkKnightmon a whole phase ahead of us...?"

"I can assure you, it was the latter..." a familiar voice answered for them. Gravimon and Dorbickmon turned around to see DarkKnightmon near one of the exits of this area.

"DarkKnightmon!" Gravimon was taken by surprise. "How did you find this place?!"

"I followed Dorbickmon's little follower..." the knight pointed over to the rock that was hiding me.

"Follower...?!" Dorbickmon looked over. They all spotted me, so there was no choice but to reveal myself.

"You...!" Dorbickmon growled. DarkKnightmon smirked.

"Gravimon...it's time you joined the other two Death Generals..."

"Octa Gravity!"

We watched as the metal tentacles that were on Gravimon's body started glowing as DarkKnightmon suddenly found it harder to move. Gravimon was pulling him towards the ground by increasing the gravity acting up on the knight. However, the knight smirked.

"Reload, MaloMyotismon!" he called out. From out of the Darkness Loader, the behemoth appeared and hit Gravimon in the face, knocking him away. It allowed DarkKnightmon to free himself from the attack. Dorbickmon attacked MaloMyotismon with Dragon Breath Tonic Fire, but the behemoth dodged the attack and hit Dorbickmon in the stomach with a strong punch. The dragon grunted in pain and was distracted long enough for MaloMyotismon to grab Dorbickmon by the neck from behind. He started choking the dragon. Despite them having the advantage, MaloMyotismon and DarkKnightmon were distracted, allowing me to make my move.

"Reload, WarGrowlmon!"

The cyborg appeared from out of my Xros Loader, roaring. MaloMyotismon looked at the cyborg.

"Atomic Blaster!" WarGrowlmon roared. He gathered energy inside the gun ports on his chest and fired two streams of energy at MaloMyotismon. The behemoth was not taken by surprise. The spheres on his shoulders opened up.

"Screaming Darkness!"

The orbs fired off two laser beams that collided with WarGrowlmon's attack. While both attacks struggled to gain the upper hand, MaloMyotismon continued to choke Dorbickmon, who started succumbing to the lack of oxygen. He passed out, much to MaloMyotismon's pleasure. The beast let Dorbickmon go, and the dragon fell to his knees before collapsing on the ground. MaloMyotismon turned his focus towards us, and amplified his attack greatly. It overpowered WarGrowlmon, and the cyborg was hit dead on. He roared in pain, allowing MaloMyotismon to run up to the cyborg and punch him in the stomach. The beast then grabbed WarGrowlmon and slammed him on the ground with all of his strength.

"WarGrowlmon!"

MaloMyotismon's power was too much for the cyborg, who was out cold with just a few attacks. When I tried to run over to him, MaloMyotismon stopped me.

"I don't think so, boy..." he smirked. While he distracted me, DarkKnightmon hit me with a strong punch to the back of my head. The force of it nearly knocked me out, hitting me toward the ground. The knight kneeled down and looked at me.

"As much as I would enjoy getting rid of you and Dorbickmon right now...I'm only here for Gravimon." the knight smirked, "But don't worry...I will make sure you and Dorbickmon aren't kept waiting too long...and I'll make sure that all the pain will be worth the wait..."

"Damn...you..."

The pain was too much for me, and the sight of DarkKnightmon going after Gravimon was the last thing my eyes noticed before blacking out.

* * *

By the time my consciousness returned to me, the hideout was dark, only begin lit by a few torches.

"Ugh..."

Standing up, WarGrowlmon started to wake up as well. He was stored into the Xros Loader, and my attention turned to Dorbickmon. The dragon was still unconscious.

"Hey...wake up Dorbickmon..."

The dragon didn't hear my call. Walking over to him, he still wasn't responding. Despite shaking his arm and calling his name, Dorbickmon wasn't budging.

"Damn it..."

Before storing him into the Xros Loader, a groan escaped the dragon's mouth. His arms started moving as he woke up, coughing. He rose to his feet.

"Urgh..."

"Good...you're awake."

"You..." he gave me a slight glare.

"We don't have time. We have to find DarkKnightmon and Gravimon."

Dorbickmon remembered what happened before he passed out and ran out of the cave through an exit that was opposite to the one we entered from. I followed after him. The path led us out of the underground of Canyon Land. The sun was starting to set in the Kingdom and we hurried to find DarkKnightmon. We looked everywhere for them, but they weren't around for miles. By the time we noticed an explosion occur near the edge of the canyon nearby, it was too late.. When we arrived, we noticed that DarkKnightmon and MaloMyotismon were victorious over Gravimon.

"You've awoken..." the knight smirked, "Unfortunately, you're too late..."

He showed the two of us a black colored diamond in his hands.

"Damn it..! He got Gravimon as well...!"

"Three have been defeated...and only four remain..."

The knight used his Super Dimensional Ax to cut a hole in the dimension and escape. MaloMyotismon followed him, and the two were gone as the opening closed up, leaving the unconscious Gravimon. My attention turned to Dorbickmon.

"Now do you believe Examon's story?! Look at what happened to Gravimon!"

"Shut up..." Dorbickmon growled. The dragon stormed off in anger, leaving me alone with Gravimon. I stored the Death General in my Xros Loader, and reloaded WarGrowlmon.

"Damn it...if only Paildramon and Wingdramon were here...they could have helped us stop him..."

The thought of where Slayerdramon was resurfaced in my mind. The hideout of the organization was somewhere around this Kingdom.

"We could go help him if we're fast enough!"

WarGrowlmon placed me on his shoulder. He charged up the vernier thrusters on his shoulders and took flight. We started to search for the hideout. The thought of Slayerdramon circled through my mind. When I told him not to choose revenge over saving a friend, he didn't answer, which could be a bad sign.

_Slayerdramon...don't make the wrong choice..._

* * *

On the other side of Canyon Land, Slayerdramon and Paildramon arrived at an isolated building. It was made of solid Chrome DigiZoid, and was only one story high.

"Is this the place...?" Paildramon looked at Slayerdramon.

"Yes..." the drake nodded slowly, "It's the hideout of the organization."

Paildramon noticed Slayerdramon was hesitant to move forward. He placed his hand on Slayerdramon's shoulder.

"If you need more time to prepare..." Paildramon muttered. Slayerdramon looked back at him.

"No...it has to end today..." he informed the dragon. Paildramon nodded slowly. The two walked forward, and they kicked down the door together. The giant building had very dim lighting, but they were still able to see. The building only had one big room that was big enough to be an arena. Slayerdramon noticed that in the far end of the room, Spinomon was there waiting.

"So, you've finally arrived..." the spinosaurus muttered.

"I'm here to end this. The organization will fall tonight!" Slayerdramon barked. Spinomon laughed at him as he turned around.

"Did you hear that boss? He's going to try and destroy us!"

Slayerdramon and Paildramon watched as a digimon appeared from the darkness in the room. The digimon stopped next to Spinomon. He resembled a huge bipedal wolf with black fur and yellow eyes with no iris. His arms, hands and feet weren't covered by fur, showing some pink skin. The beast had four claws in his hand and three on his feet, which had a dewclaw growing out of the back. He wore a huge dark purple coat with dark brown fur on the shoulders, as well as two brown belts around his chest diagonally, where ammunition was stored. The most noticeable feature was that his right hand was mechanized and designed with gun barrels to use as fingers that were connected to a metal cylinder that had a piston protruding out of the back. He towered over Slayerdramon and Paildramon in height and the beast's muscle mass was huge.

"I'd like to see him try..." the digimon smirked at Slayerdramon.

"Callismon..." the dragon growled.

"I'll admit one thing. I never expected you to be the one to come back here to try and stop us. I always thought that it would have been Ouryumon. You always did hide behind him, letting him take care of things while you watched."

"Quiet!" Slayerdramon barked, "Don't you dare mention Ouryumon's name!"

"What are you going to do about it?" the beast smirked. Slayerdramon grabbed his Fragarach and prepared himself to fight.

"I'll destroy you!" the dragon yelled. Both Callismon and Spinomon prepared themselves for battle.

"Let me handle the poor, delusional drake..." Callismon told Spinomon, "You take care of the Paildramon."

"Heh...whatever you say, boss..." the spinosaurus smirked. Paildramon extended the spike on his right gauntlet into a blade, and it was Slayerdramon who attacked first.

"Shoryūzanpa!"

Slayerdramon fired an energy wave from his blade. Callismon avoided the attack and charged at the dragon. The beast slammed his fists on the ground, causing a bunch of rubble to rise from the ground. Slayerdramon jumped away, keeping his distance. Callismon continued his assault, trying to hit the dragon with his fists. Slayerdramon avoided him, and hit the beast with a punch to the stomach. Callismon grunted in pain, but he was able to hold off the attack. He grabbed Slayerdramon with both hands and slammed the drake on the floor repeatedly. The dragon yelled in pain, but managed to kick Callismon in the face. The beast flinched, releasing Slayerdramon, who slammed into Callismon's body. At the same time, Paildramon and Spinomon fought against each other.

"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon fired a barrage of energy bullets from the blasters on his waist. Spinomon countered by using Blue Prominence. The attacks clashed together, and Spinomon's attack swallowed up Paildramon's, as the dragon moved to the side to avoid getting burned.

"Sonic Slash Rain!" Spinomon bellowed. He fired off the blades on his back at Paildramon, who swiftly avoided the onslaught. He fired Desperado Blaster again, and Spinomon merely blocked the attack with his arm, laughing at Paildramon since the attack barely harmed the spinosaurus.

"Do you really think an attack like that will hurt me?!' Spinomon teased Paildramon. It didn't faze the dragon, who used this opportunity to catch Spinomon by surprise.

"Sting Strike!"

Paildramon used the blade on his gauntlet to stab Spinomon's leg when the dinosaur was distracted. The spinosaurus snarled in pain as Paildramon jumped away from him.

"Grr...lucky shot..." Spinomon glared at him. The spinosaurus attacked with Blue Prominence, and while Paildramon avoided the attack, Spinomon ran at the dragon and hit him with a mighty swish of his tail, slamming Paildramon on the ground. The dragon avoided Spinomon from trying to stomp him and kept his distance.

"Electric Bolt!"

Paildramon charged up a bolt of electricity in his hand and fired it at the spinosaurus, who withstood the attack. Spinomon growled, and approached the dragon slowly as the fighting continued.

"Rodeo Bullet!" Callismon roared. The beast fired round after round of ammunition from the openings in his mechanical hand. Slayerdramon avoided them, and attacked with Shoryūzanpa. Callismon avoided the attack, but it allowed Slayerdramon to powerfully slam into the behemoth's chest. Callismon grunted in pain as the collision pushed him back, and Slayerdramon started an all-out assault. He attacked the digimon with various punches and kicks, as well as using his blade to cut wounds into Callismon's body. The digimon stumbled back with each physical attack. Slayerdramon attempted to use Tenryūzanha to finish it, but Callismon kicked the dragon away before the attack made impact. He then stomped on the dragon's stomach, who coughed up blood.

"Slayerdramon!" Paildramon exclaimed. He avoided Spinomon and used his Cable Catchers to grab the spinosaurus and throw him to the other side of the building. Paildramon then charged at Callismon.

"Stupid dragon..." he mocked Slayerdramon, "Your attempt to destroy us is just as pitiful and weak as your father's was..."

Just as Callismon was about to attack, Paildramon stabbed the digimon's back a few times with Sting Strike. Callismon roared in pain as he turned around and hit Paildramon with a strong uppercut, hitting the dragon into the air.

"Spinomon!" the beast called out.

"Blue Prominence!"

Spinomon exhaled a burst of blue plasma at Paildramon. Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock.

"Paildramon!"

The digimon heard him and managed to shield his body before the attack hit. He received many burns on his body, but he was still able to fight, which was a huge relief for Slayerdramon. He grabbed his Fragarach and caught Spinomon off-guard. He hit the spinosaurus with Shoryūzanpa, leaving a huge wound on the digimon's stomach. Spinomon roared, dropping to one knee in pain. Callismon was angered by the event, and hit Slayerdramon with a strong punch to the face, knocking the dragon towards the wall. Paildramon fired Desperado Blaster at Callismon, aiming directly at the wounds the beast had. The behemoth roared in pain. Spinomon on the other hand, glared at Paildramon.

"It won't end without one of you on the brink of death..." he snarled, and forced himself to stand up. "Sonic Slash Rain!" The spinosaurus fired off the blades on his back. Paildramon was too distracted to notice.

"Paildramon!" Slayerdramon yelled. By the time Paildramon was aware, the blades dug into his back as he yelled in pain. Callismon grabbed Paildramon by the head and slammed him headfirst on the ground. Slayerdramon ran over to the drake, who wasn't responding.

"Paildramon! Wake up!" he shook the dragon, but Paildramon wouldn't wake up.

"Let this be a lesson...you're too weak to even try to defeat us." Callismon laughed at the two, "You will lose this comrade, just as you lost that despicable Ouryumon..."

Slayerdramon rose to his feet slowly. Both Callismon and Spinomon looked at him. The dragon slowly turned around, and the cold glare he gave the two was full of anger and wrath. Slayerdramon snarled viciously, wanting only one thing: revenge.

"You will both pay dearly!"

He grabbed his sword and charged at the two. Spinomon attacked with Blue Prominence. Slayerdramon used Shoryūzanpa to counter, and both attacks were nullified. The two met dead on in battle, but Slayerdramon clearly had the advantage since Spinomon's leg was injured. Slayerdramon exploited that weakness and brutally hit Spinomon's body with many strong punches, followed by him breaking Spinomon's ribcage with a strong punch to the chest.

The spinosaurus suddenly stopped breathing, and fell back on the floor. As Spinomon gasped for air, Slayerdramon placed his foot on the digimon's stomach and started to slowly crush the organ.

"Guh...!" Spinomon gasped for air. His eyes were filled with shock and fear, as his vision started blurring. He slowly passed out, muttering one last sentence.

"You...beat...me...but...how...can...that...be...? "

The spinosaurus passed out, and Slayerdramon stabbed his Fragarach into Spinomon's heart. The digimon cringed in pain one last time before finally meeting his end, as he slowly vanished into data. The way Spinomon met his end angered Callismon to his very core, as he glared at Slayerdramon.

"You will regret that, dragon..." he snarled. Slayerdramon directed his cold glare at Callismon.

"We'll see who will be the one to regret his actions..." the dragon growled. He charged at Callismon with his sword in hand and was ready to stab the beast. He stopped in his tracks when Callismon grabbed the unconscious Paildramon and prepared to use the dragon as a shield. The beast smirked evilly.

"What's wrong? I thought you wanted to make me suffer." the beast tempted Slayerdramon. The dragon hesitated to attack, giving Callismon the opportunity.

"Rodeo Bullet!"

Callismon hit Slayerdramon with a barrage of bullets fired from his right hand. The bullets broke away parts of Slayerdramon's armor as he was hit in his ribcage. The bullets were lodged into his skin and the dragon cringed in pain as his injuries bled.

"You won't kill me without suffering the consequences for killing Spinomon!" Callismon roared. With his claws, Slayerdramon watched as the beast stabbed Paildramon in the back, as his claws dug deep and damaged the digimon's DigiCore.

"No!" Slayerdramon yelled. With all of his adrenaline, he wrapped his Fragarach around Callismon's right arm and used Koryūzanba to rip it off. The beast roared in pain, releasing his grip on Paildramon.

"I've had enough of you!" Slayerdramon furiously roared. He beat Callismon's face in with a barrage of punches, giving Callismon no time to retaliate. Slayerdramon stabbed the beast's legs, immobilizing him. The dragon beat him brutally, releasing all his pent up aggression on Callismon for everything the digimon's done to him. After ripping off Callismon's other arm with Koryūzanba, he finally put the beast out of his misery by stabbing his Fragarach through Callismon's heart, as the beast roared in pain. Slayerdramon moved off of the beast. There was a lot of blood on his shin guards and hands. It was Callismon's blood, as well as his own. Slayerdramon growled viciously as he turned around and noticed me at the entrance. His growling slowly stopped when he noticed the look of shock on my face.

"Kid..." he tried to approach me, "H...how long...?"

"I just arrived...a few moments ago..." he watched me back away from him, "I...I can't believe you just did that..."

His brutal beating of Callismon was horrifying. My attention quickly turned to Paildramon, who was emanating small orbs of light.

"No..."

I ran over to him, as his eyes winced. He looked at me with sadness in his eyes.

"I...I'm sorry..." he muttered, "I failed..."

"No, you didn't fail!"

"He...damaged my DigiCore..." Paildramon struggled to breathe, "I can't...retain this digivolution anymore..."

"What do you mean...?"

My question was answered when he degenerated back into Veemon, passing out. Next to him was the green DigiCore that was all Stingmon data. The core was severely damaged, and we watched as all that data vanished into nothing. It shocked me, and nothing in my mind wanted Veemon to suffer that fate, so he was stored into my Xros Loader and I started to head for the exit.

"Kid...wait...!" Slayerdramon tried to follow.

"...stay away Slayerdramon...please..."

He noticed the slight hint of fear in my voice, and stopped in his tracks. He watched me leave, and stayed there in disbelief. Callismon laughed evilly.

"You..." he gasped for air, as he faded away into data, "You really are something..."

Slayerdramon turned around to look at the digimon. Callismon gave him one last evil smirk.

"The way that kid looked at you...I love it...the way you cruelly beat me into near nothing in cold blood..."

"I..." Slayerdramon stammered.

"...you might be...just as cruel as I am..." Callismon muttered, giving one last laugh before fading away into data. Slayerdramon dropped to his knees, nodding in disagreement.

"I'm not like you..." he kept muttering to himself. His eyes teared up, as he tried to convince himself that he didn't just commit that brutal beating.

"I'm nothing like you...I'm not..."

* * *

Author's Note: Definitely one of the most brutal moments in these fights, aside from the one with ShadowDorbickmon. Hopefully it makes up for the fact that Gravimon's fight was offscreen.


	37. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: The Fourth Key: Attack of the Reaper**

After taking Gravimon to Shoutmon's Castle and returning to Dorbickmon's home, we checked on Veemon. He didn't wake up at all for the whole night. While he was unconscious, I took the liberty of finding Sorcermon to help heal Veemon's wounds. After that, he examined Veemon to check for any data that might have been damaged inside him when Callismon stabbed his DigiCore when the dragon was Paildramon. When he finished checking his injuries, Sorcermon turned to face me.

"He's sustained many injuries, but his DigiCore is in one piece." he explained, "Luckily, only the half of Paildramon's DigiCore containing Stingmon's data was harmed, so Veemon should be fine."

The news was a huge relief for me. When Sorcermon finished the examination, he excused himself and walked off. As he walked out of the room, Slayerdramon walked inside. He approached me slowly, noticing Veemon on the bed.

"Kid..." he muttered. My attention stayed on Veemon, who still wasn't waking up. Slayerdramon glanced at him.

"...is he ok...?" Slayerdramon asked.

"...his injuries will heal, and his DigiCore wasn't damaged..."

Slayerdramon sighed in relief, "That's good..."

The drake watched me store Veemon into the Xros Loader to heal. The dragon cleared his throat, but he wouldn't look at me.

"Kid..." he hesitated to speak, unable to find the words to explain the beating he committed on Callismon. "What you saw last night...it..."

"You don't have to say anything." I interrupted him, "That scene was enough of an explanation..."

"But...the way you looked at me..." Slayerdramon mumbled, "I didn't want you...to think of me in that way..."

"Revenge brings out the worst in someone..." he heard me mutter, "It happened to Dorbickmon, and it happened to you..."

"I'm sorry..." Slayerdramon dropped to his knees, "I didn't want Paildramon to get hurt...and when he did...I lost control of myself..."

Despite him regretting that moment, nothing inside me could have blamed him for what happened. In a way, that incident was also my fault. If WarGrowlmon had found the hideout much sooner, we could have stopped Callismon from injuring Paildramon, and Slayerdramon would have not lost control of himself.

"...don't bother crying about it Slayerdramon. What happened back there can't be changed now. There's no point in crying about it. Whatever the outcome was, you completed the mission Ouryumon left to you. The organization is gone, and you can start moving on..."

Slayerdramon wiped away his tears and rose to his feet. He walked out of the room to go get some sleep. My focus was still on Veemon, but he should heal since his DigiCore wasn't damaged. With DarkKnightmon out there hunting the Death Generals, it was a restless night for me. The knight could already be going after the next General, and since everyone was resting, there was nothing stopping him. Either way, I forced myself to go to sleep since we'd need all the energy possible to face the knight and whatever minion he threw at us. The following morning, Slayerdramon was on the second floor balcony of Dorbickmon's Castle. The drake was silent, deep in thought after what happened last night.

"Ouryumon..." he muttered, "I completed our mission...but why do I feel so guilty..."

As he looked around, he spotted Dorbickmon running out of the castle gates. The Death General was in a bit of a rush, confusing Slayerdramon, who walked back inside. When Slayerdramon walked into the foyer, he noticed me about to leave.

"Where are you going...?" he asked.

"...to go after Dorbickmon. He and the other Death Generals are being hunted by DarkKnightmon, and the knight has already defeated three of them."

Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock. He followed me out the gates of the castle, and watched me reload WarGrowlmon out of my Xros Loader. The cyborg placed me on his shoulder and charged up the vernier thrusters on his shoulders.

"Let me go with you!" Slayerdramon exclaimed, grabbing WarGrowlmon's arm. The cyborg glanced down at him.

"Please kid..." the dragon glanced at me, "I swear I'm not the cruel digimon you think I am...I want to help you!"

There was a moment of silence between the two of us. WarGrowlmon glanced at me, waiting for my decision.

"...I won't make the same mistake again..." Slayerdramon reassured me, "I promise you that..."

After giving it some thought, my response to him was a simple nod of agreement. Slayerdramon gave a slight smile before being stored into my Xros Loader, and WarGrowlmon took flight, chasing after Dorbickmon. As we followed the dragon, he led us towards Honey Land. However, unlike last time, he noticed us in the skies following him. It angered the drake and he shot out two streams of fire from the cannons on his chest at WarGrowlmon. The cyborg was surprised, but shielded the two of us from the attack. While we were distracted, Dorbickmon ran off and lost us. When the smoke faded and our vision was restored, he was out of our sight.

"Damn it..." I muttered, coughing from inhaling a bit of smoke. WarGrowlmon landed on the ground, and Slayerdramon reloaded from my Xros Loader.

"What the hell is his problem attacking us like that...?!" the dragon asked.

"He doesn't want me to follow him. Last time we did, DarkKnightmon found Gravimon's hideout by tailing us..."

"Hmph..." Slayerdramon crossed his arms, "If he'd only understand that we need to work together..."

"If we want to find him, we'll have to split up to make the search easier."

"Ok." Slayerdramon nodded in agreement. He ran off to search the left side of Honey Land. WarGrowlmon resumed flight and started looking for Dorbickmon as well. Honey Land's woods and forests made it difficult to pinpoint the dragon.

"Where could he have gone..."

While we were searching, WarGrowlmon started barking, which caught my attention.

"What is it?" my attention turned to him. The cyborg pointed over to a familiar dark knight digimon flying away.

"DarkKnightmon!"

WarGrowlmon snarled angrily, and started chasing after the knight, catching me by surprise.

"Woah!"

Grabbing onto his armor, he sped off in a flash. We chased after the knight, who led us through the kingdom. The digimon led us to a huge tree where DigiHoney was growing on the branches, which helped me figure out who he was after next.

"DigiHoney...then...that must mean..."

DarkKnightmon was going after Zamielmon the Wood-Spirit this time. WarGrowlmon saw the knight enter the huge mounds of leaves near the bottom of the tree that were concealing the entrance. The cyborg snarled angrily.

"Calm down WarGrowlmon...we can't rush in there, he'd notice us."

Upon hearing my voice, the cyborg regained some control over himself and glanced at me. He nodded slowly and landed on the ground near the entrance. The cyborg placed me on the ground before he was stored into my Xros Loader. I ran inside the entrance, passing through the mounds of leaves.

The inside of the tree was hollow, with a staircase that twisted around the tree leading upward. Running up the flight of stairs was difficult, and it looked as if the staircase was endless.

"Damn it...it will take forever to reach the top."

WarGrowlmon was too big to reload inside the tree. While contemplating a faster route, my Xros Loader emitted a bright light. Grabbing the device, a familiar voice responded.

"Let me help you."

"Veemon, you're awake!" my eyes widened with surprise. Reloading him out of the Xros Loader, the small dragon looked up at me.

"I can still digivolve." he explained, "Even if I can't digivolve into Paildramon, I can still help you!"

The look of determination in his eyes was admirable for a small dragon like himself. There was nothing inside me that wanted to say no to the little guy.

"Alright."

A huge smile appeared on his face as he watched me raise my Xros Loader in the air.

"Veemon, Shinka!"

A bright light engulfed the small blue dragon as he digivolved into ExVeemon for the first time since he digivolved into Paildramon. The dragon placed me on his shoulder. Luckily, his size wasn't going to be a bother climbing up the stairs.

"Hang on." he told me. Grabbing onto his shoulder, ExVeemon flapped his wings and soared up the staircase at a swift speed. We managed to reach the top of the staircase in a short ten minutes. It led us to the entrance of another chamber. ExVeemon hid behind the wall and looked inside the room. The chamber was made of the tree bark and surrounded by the tree leaves to hide it from the outside.

"Woah..." the place astonished me. ExVeemon looked at the other side of the room, and spotted two digimon.

"Look." he told me. Glancing over, Dorbickmon and Zamielmon were in the other side of the room, and it looked like they were talking to each other. We listened in to their conversation.

"DarkKnightmon has defeated three of us." Zamielmon told the dragon, sounding rather angry. "No matter what we seem to do, he's always ahead of us and can read our strategies so damned easily!"

Dorbickmon stayed silent. As the two talked, ExVeemon looked up, and was surprised when he saw DarkKnightmon near the roof of the room, with his Twin Spear in hand. Noting the shocked look on his face, I looked over and spotted the knight as well, who was about to ambush the two.

"Dorbickmon! Zamielmon! Look out!" they heard me yell. DarkKnightmon jumped towards the two with his spear ready. Dorbickmon and Zamielmon managed to jump away and avoid the knight's attack.

"The World Shot!" Zamielmon fired off the arrow around his waist that was attached to his crossbow. DarkKnightmon jumped away to avoid it, charging at the Death General. Dorbickmon tried to interfere by punching the knight, but DarkKnightmon avoided the attack, grabbed Dorbickmon's arm and flipped him over, slamming the dragon on the ground. Zamielmon made his escape by jumping through an opening in the leaves. DarkKnightmon chased after him. At the same time, ExVeemon ran over to Dorbickmon.

"Are you alright?!" he asked the drake. Dorbickmon hit ExVeemon in the stomach with his elbow, causing the dragon to cringe in pain, stepping away from the Death General.

"I'm fine, but DarkKnightmon won't be!" he roared. Dorbickmon proceeded to follow DarkKnightmon and Zamielmon. ExVeemon recovered from the attack and chased after Dorbickmon. He noticed that the exit led to one of the giant branches of the tree. He looked down to see Dorbickmon jumping down from branch to branch, and followed. As he soared over to the drake, I noticed Zamielmon had already reached the bottom and ran into another part of Honey Land.

"We have to hurry!"

ExVeemon nodded in agreement and followed. Dorbickmon reached the bottom of the tree and ran after DarkKnightmon. The knight looked back and noticed the dragon, giving an evil smirk.

"They are all yours...Reapermon..." the knight muttered.

The Darkness Loader emitted a dark light as a digimon appeared out of it and powerfully slammed into Dorbickmon. The dragon was hit onto the floor, crashing against a few rocks that were nearby. ExVeemon and I arrived at the scene a few moments later.

"Dorbickmon!"

My attention turned to his attacker. The digimon was a cyborg with gold armor on his body, connected to dark gray armor on the cyborg's neck, legs and on the sides of the digimon's upper body. There was two claws on the digimon's metal boots, which had golden skeletons on the knee caps, as well as a red belt around the waist with the belt buckle resembling a ninja star. The cyborg wielded a giant silver cannon on his left forearm, and his left hand had three claws. The cyborg's right hand was a giant gold sickle blade attached to his right arm. His head was a golden skull with red eyes and two horns on the top of his head. There was the emblem of a silver skull on the cyborg's chest. The digimon glanced over at us.

"Who is that..." ExVeemon heard me mutter. Dorbickmon recovered from the attack and rose to his feet, snarling at the digimon.

"Your time...has come..." the cyborg readied his blade, "And I...as one of DarkKnightmon's loyal servants...shall be your executioner..."

Dorbickmon summoned his blade of flames, as the cyborg pointed his blade at the dragon.

"Know my name...Reapermon..."

The cyborg charged at Dorbickmon at a swift speed. Reapermon swung his blade horizontally at Dorbickmon's neck. The dragon barely managed to block the blade with his sword, nearly getting his head chopped off. I grabbed my Xros Loader.

"Reload, WarGrowlmon!"

The digimon appeared from the device and landed next to ExVeemon. WarGrowlmon roared loudly as ExVeemon placed me on the ground, and the two charged into battle.

"Grim Slasher!" Reapermon yelled. He slashed at Dorbickmon repeatedly with his cutlass. The dragon barely managed to block each attack and charged up the cannons on his chest. Dorbickmon jumped away.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" the dragon bellowed. He fired two bursts of fire at Reapermon, who didn't look fazed. The reaper swung his blade and cut the flames in half, surprising Dorbickmon. Reapermon pointed his arm cannon at the dragon.

"Bone Duster."

The cannon charged up and he fired a stream of flames at the dragon, who was too slow to avoid the attack and was hit dead on. Dorbickmon roared in pain. Reapermon wasted no time and kicked the dragon away. His attention quickly turned toward ExVeemon and WarGrowlmon, who attacked with V Laser and Atomic Blaster. Reapermon quickly dodged the combined attacks and charged at the two. He grabbed WarGrowlmon by the leg and swung him around, slamming him into ExVeemon, and proceeded to slam the cyborg on the ground, surprising us with his incredible strength.

"Damn...!" I clenched my fist. Dorbickmon grabbed Reapermon from behind, but it didn't catch the reaper by surprise. The digimon hit the dragon in the stomach with a strong elbow. Dorbickmon coughed up blood, stepping back and holding his stomach in pain.

"Burning Cyclone!"

Reapermon spun around rapidly, producing a powerful cyclone of flames that burned Dorbickmon's body. The drake yelled in pain, and Reapermon kicked him away afterward. Throughout the battle, Reapermon maintained a composed attitude, and battled seriously. He wasn't fazed by any surprise, and retaliated perfectly against everyone's attacks.

"V Laser!"

ExVeemon crossed his arms in front of himself and shot out an energy beam in the shape of an X from his chest. Reapermon took the attack headfirst, barely receiving any damage. The cyborg ran up to ExVeemon and punched him in the stomach. The dragon grunted in pain, dropping to one knee. Reapermon assaulted the dragon with a barrage of punches to his body, and then kicked ExVeemon in the chest, knocking the drake away and knocking him out with a punch to the face.

"ExVeemon!" my eyes widened with shock. He didn't respond to my call as Reapermon approached him, wielding his blade.

"Radiation Blades!"

Reapermon looked over and jumped away to avoid the charging WarGrowlmon, who attacked the digimon with his arm blades. Reapermon parried each of WarGrowlmon's attacks with his sickle blade, and jumped over the beast.

"Bone Duster!"

Reapermon turned around and fired a burst of flames from the arm cannon on his left arm. The attack hit WarGrowlmon in the back, causing the digimon to roar in pain. Reapermon was about to redirect his attention towards ExVeemon when he noticed Dorbickmon rising to his feet again. My Xros Loader emitted a gold light.

"Dorbickmon, Xros Shinka!"

The gold light engulfed the dragon as he digivolved. He grew slightly bigger, gaining dragon wings and a long tail that matched the color of his scales. His appearance was the same as when he digixrossed with his entire army back when he was serving the Bagra Empire.

"Xros Shinka, Dorbickmon Dragon Mode!"

The dragon soared at Reapermon, sword in hand, and the two engaged in combat. Reapermon was on the defensive, blocking each swing of Dorbickmon's blade and waiting for the opportunity to strike. Dorbickmon attacked the digimon swiftly and violently, trying to stab Reapermon with his sword. However, even with Xros Digivolution, the reaper was still faster, and jumped over the drake. He grabbed Dorbickmon by the tail and swung him around. Reapermon slammed the dragon into some of the huge boulders nearby.

"Grim Slasher!"

Letting go of Dorbickmon, Reapermon swung his blade towards the dragon. The drake managed to block the sickle with his sword when the weapon was barely an inch from his eye. Dorbickmon punched Reapermon in the face. The digimon didn't flinch from the attack, merely jumping away from Dorbickmon. Around this time, ExVeemon woke up from unconsciousness, rising to his feet slowly. WarGrowlmon also recovered from Reapermon's attack, snarling at the cyborg.

"Attack all at once!" I yelled.

"V Laser!"

"Atomic Blaster!"

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

All of them fired their attacks at Reapermon. The three blasts homed in on Reapermon, who didn't move to avoid it and simply crosses his arms to defend. A huge explosion occurred, blinding us from the result. When the smoke subsided, the four of us were astonished to see Reapermon still standing with less damage to his body than we thought.

"How could he withstand such an attack?!" my eyes widened with shock. WarGrowlmon charged at the digimon, attacking with his Radiation Blades. Reapermon avoided the beast's attack and stopped him in his tracks with a powerful kick to the groin. WarGrowlmon snarled in pain, about to fall on top of the digimon. Reapermon assaulted the beast with a barrage of physical attacks to his stomach and legs before using Bone Duster to blast WarGrowlmon away. The cyborg crashed onto the floor in front of me, unconscious and defeated.

"Damn it...!"

"V Laser!" ExVeemon yelled. Reapermon avoided the attack and hit the dragon with a powerful knee to the gut. The drake groaned in pain. Reapermon hit him with more punches to the body before hitting ExVeemon into the air with an uppercut and kicking the drake away. ExVeemon was hit onto a tree, and degenerated back into Veemon.

"Veemon!"

While storing WarGrowlmon in my Xros Loader and running over to help Veemon, Reapermon turned his attention towards Dorbickmon, who glared at the digimon.

"Tyrant Collbrande!" he bellowed. Vertically swinging his blade, the dragon tried to cut Reapermon in half. The digimon however, blocked the attack with his cutlass, and was not struggling to stop the attack from killing him, which angered Dorbickmon even further.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Reapermon nullified both streams of fire shot at him with a simple swipe of his claws. The cyborg noticed Dorbickmon getting tired, and the dragon's blade of flames was decreasing in size as a result of the drake getting weaker, allowing Reapermon to easily overpower the attack and run up to Dorbickmon.

"Grim Slasher!"

The reaper swung his blade and slashed Dorbickmon's chest and shoulders, cutting open wounds as the dragon roared in pain. Reapermon then used Bone Duster and fired off a burst of fire from the arm cannon on his left arm, hitting Dorbickmon in the open wounds and burning his open flesh. Reapermon was not about to let him attack, and assaulted the dragon with multiple blows to the face and chest before kicking the dragon away. Dorbickmon managed to land on his feet, but he was low on energy. Nevertheless, his anger blinded him from the fact that he would lose the battle.

"Dragon...Breath...Tonic...Fire!" he roared. He shot burst after burst of fire from the cannons on his chest. Reapermon approached him slowly, nullifying the flames by cutting them in half with his sickle. Eventually, Dorbickmon ran out of energy, dropping to one knee. Reapermon stood in front of him, looking down at the drake. Without saying a word, he kicked Dorbickmon in the lower jaw and powerfully punched him in the face, causing the dragon to fall back. Reapermon grabbed Dorbickmon by the lower jaw and lifted him up. The near unconscious dragon opening his eyes slightly, glaring at the blurred image of Reapermon. The reaper repeatedly hit Dorbickmon in the gut with his knee, causing the dragon to cough up blood. Reapermon finally put Dorbickmon out of his misery by knocking the dragon out with a strong punch to the side of his head, giving the dragon a concussion. Without any way of fighting back now, the dragon was at the mercy of Reapermon, and without Veemon and WarGrowlmon awake to help, there was nothing I could do but watch.

"Dorbickmon! Wake up! You have to!"

The dragon didn't hear me. Reapermon raised his right arm in the air. The blade reflected off one of the sun's rays, as he went in for the kill, aiming the tip of the blade at Dorbickmon's head. In that moment, a familiar voice was heard.

"Plasma Railgun!"

Before Reapermon dug his blade into Dorbickmon's skull, he was hit with a burst of blue plasma, causing him to release the dragon. A few more plasma bursts were fired at him from above, which the reaper blocked. The silohuette of a digimon appeared, hovering in front of the sun. It swiftly swooped down, grabbing the unconscious Dorbickmon and quickly turning to grab me before escaping from Reapermon. The cyborg simply watched, not surprised at all. It simply glared.

"...escaping...is futile..." he muttered, "You will be back...and I will be waiting..."

On that note, Reapermon walked away in the opposite direction. As we soared in the air, I looked around, surprised.

"Who...?"

My eyes recognized familiar gold armor and wings, as well as the blaster at the end of the tail this digimon wielded. Connecting the dots in my mind, my eyes widened with shock.

"It can't be..."

"So we meet again...though I never expected that we would have to save you two.." a familiar voice responded. Looking over at him, the boy's blonde hair and his blue Xros Loader was enough to give me a clear picture of who saved us.

"Kiriha!" my eyes widened with surprise. The boy turned around and looked at me.

"It was quite a surprise running into you here." he told me. Looking over at the digimon, it was none other than ZekeGreymon who saved us, as he soared towards another part of Honey Land while holding the unconscious Dorbickmon, who had one arm over the cyborg's neck.

"Who was that digimon?" Kiriha asked.

"He's one of DarkKnightmon's servants."

The boy wasn't surprised by my answer. "And what exactly was he doing here?"

"I'll explain it to you when we find a safe place to land." he heard me mutter. Nodding in agreement, he turned towards ZekeGreymon.

"ZekeGreymon, fly over towards the other side of Honey Land."

The digimon nodded in agreement and sped off, flying across the forest.


	38. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: The Battle In Honey Land**

On the other side of the kingdom, Slayerdramon searched around for Dorbickmon. However, his search had reached the point where he was starting to search for everyone else. The dragon searched the area five times, becoming a bit more frustrated each time he found nothing.

"Damn it...first I can't find Dorbickmon and now I can't even find the kid..."

As he contemplated a different strategy, a violent tremor hit, nearly sweeping the drake of his feet. He managed to stay standing, and looked around.

"What was that...?!" he muttered. Slayerdramon noticed clouds of smoke rising not too far from his location. The drake ran over to go investigate. When he arrived at the source of the tremor, he was surprised to see Zamielmon and DarkKnightmon fighting. However, he noticed DarkKnightmon easily gaining the upper hand.

"The World Shot!"

Zamielmon fired another arrow from the crossbow around his waist. DarkKnightmon moved to the side to avoid it. The knight slammed into the digimon, knocking him to the floor. Zamielmon struggled to stand up, which pleased the knight.

"You Death Generals really are pathetic..." he mocked the digimon, kicking the elf away. "Without your armies, each one of you is nothing..."

As Zamielmon stood up, DarkKnightmon grabbed him by the neck and started to choke the digimon.

"Allow me to end your suffering..." the knight smirked.

"No...!"

Slayerdramon ran out of his hiding spot and charged at the knight. DarkKnightmon noticed the dragon and jumped away, releasing his grip on Zamielmon before his hand was cut off by Slayerdramon's sword. The drake stepped in front of the Death General.

"How surprising..." DarkKnightmon smirked, "It has been a while, Slayerdramon..."

The drake growled, with his Fragarach ready. Zamielmon rose to his feet, catching his breath.

"You..." the elf coughed.

"You're only prolonging his inevitable fate..." DarkKnightmon laughed at the dragon. "He will fall by my hand whether you interfere or not..."

"We'll see about that!" Slayerdramon yelled, charging at the knight. The dragon attacked with Tenryūzanha, but his attack was blocked by another digimon.

"What?!" Slayerdramon's eyes widened with shock as he looked over at the digimon. DarkKnightmon smirked.

"You've returned..." the knight muttered, "I assume everything went well, Reapermon...?"

The digimon hit Slayerdramon away, who stumbled back a few feet.

"The target was defeated..." Reapermon informed the knight, "However, he was rescued before I could execute him..."

"Rescued...?" By who...?" DarkKnightmon asked.

"...by ZekeGreymon from Blue Flare..." Reapermon muttered.

"Blue Flare...?" DarkKnightmon glanced over at Reapermon, slightly surprised. "How interesting...those who were once enemies have turned into comrades..."

As they talked, Slayerdramon attacked again. However, Reapermon easily blocked the attacks and stopped the drake from injuring DarkKnightmon.

"Knowing their persistence, the two will come after us..." DarkKnightmon muttered. "In that time, I guess we'll just take care of you two..."

Slayerdramon jumped away, landing next to Zamielmon. The two glared at DarkKnightmon and Reapermon, and they charged into battle.

* * *

ZekeGreymon took us to a small field near a DigiHoney tree. He landed on the ground, and placed Dorbickmon on the floor. The dragon was still unconscious, and his wounds were still present when he degenerated back into his normal form. Kiriha walked over and grabbed one of the containers of DigiHoney from the tree, which was a dark shade of yellow. He brought it over to me.

"Here. This DigiHoney is for medicinal use." he explained, "If you place some of the honey on Dorbickmon's wounds, then they will heal faster once he's stored in your Xros Loader."

With a nod of understanding, I did as he told me and grabbed some of the honey, placing it on the wounds Reapermon inflicted on Dorbickmon's body. The drake didn't respond during this time, and my attention turned to Kiriha.

"So...how did you know we were here...?"

"I was investigating parts of Dragon Land and Vampire Land where dark energy was emanating from when Taiki contacted me through the communicator. He told me that Honey Land was emitting a large amount of dark energy. When we traveled over to check it out, ZekeGreymon and I noticed a blinding explosion. Arriving at the scene, we saw you and Dorbickmon fighting Reapermon."

"I see..."

After treating Dorbickmon's wounds, the dragon was stored into my Xros Loader to heal. My attention then turned to ZekeGreymon and Kiriha again.

"...I'll be honest. I never expected you to save Dorbickmon...considering what has happened in the past..."

Both of them stayed silent. There was a small pond of water nearby, allowing me to wash my hands. Kiriha walked up to me.

"...the way you worked together in the tournament...it made me believe that maybe even someone like Dorbickmon can change..."

As we talked to each other, Veemon appeared from out of my Xros Loader. His injuries seemed to have healed.

"Hey...are you okay Veemon?" I asked him.

"Y...yeah..." the small dragon muttered. Kiriha looked at the digimon, recognizing him.

"...is this the same digimon that was with you at the tournament? The Paildramon?" he asked. The small dragon looked down, nodding slowly.

"He is...however, his DigiCore was damaged in a recent battle when he was Paildramon, and he can no longer digivolve into him anymore.."

"I see..." Kiriha nodded slowly in understanding, "That could pose a problem when we go after Reapermon..."

"I know...we will have to hold him of until Dorbickmon wakes up if we want to have a chance of beating him..."

"What exactly is DarkKnightmon after?" Kiriha asked.

"He's after seven keys that are inside each of the seven Death Generals."

"What are the keys for?" he crossed his arms.

"They open a gate somewhere that has a powerful digimon locked inside."

"How many has he collected so far?"

"Three. He's after Zamielmon as we speak."

"Alright then. We might not have an advantage right now, but we don't have time to lose. Let's go." Kiriha told us. He jumped onto ZekeGreymon's back, and we followed. The thrusters on the cyborg's feet lit up as he took flight.

"Where would Reapermon go?" Kiriha asked me.

"He'd probably go back and report to DarkKnightmon. We'd have to find the knight."

As we talked, an explosion occurred not too far from our location. Looking over, a tornado of flames rose out of the trees, which was easy to recognize.

"Fire...that has to be them. I'd recognize Reapermon's Burning Cyclone attack."

Using my hint, ZekeGreymon soared over to the source of the explosion.

We arrived at the scene to see Slayerdramon and Zamielmon fighting the two usual suspects. Both digimon were losing, easily overpowered by DarkKnightmon and Reapermon's cooperation.

"Damn..." Kiriha muttered, "They need our help!"

ZekeGreymon nodded and charged into battle. He slammed into Reapermon before the digimon hit Slayerdramon, knocking the reaper away.

"You..." Slayerdramon muttered, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright Slayerdramon?" I asked him. The dragon turned to look at me.

"I'm fine..." he muttered. DarkKnightmon looked over at us.

"I knew you'd return...and you even brought Blue Flare with you..." the knight smirked.

"DarkKnightmon..." Kiriha clenched his fist. We jumped off of ZekeGreymon's back as the cyborg moved away from Reapermon. Veemon stood next to ZekeGreymon, ready to fight again.

"Reapermon..." DarkKnightmon glanced at him, "Take care of your objective...I will deal with Zamielmon and Slayerdramon."

"Understood..." Reapermon muttered, wielding his sickle blade. My attention turned to Slayerdramon for a moment.

"We can't let DarkKnightmon beat Zamielmon...can you still fight?"

"Try and stop me..." the dragon growled.

"No matter what, try and protect him from the knight."

The dragon nodded slowly. He and Zamielmon ran off to another area not too far off from our current location. ZekeGreymon pointed the gun on his right hand at Reapermon, ready for battle. Grabbing my Xros Loader, the device emitted a bright light.

"Veemon, Shinka!"

The light engulfed Veemon as he digivolved into ExVeemon. Reapermon didn't react at all to this, and charged up the arm cannon he wielded on his left hand.

"Bone Duster!"

Reapermon shot out a burst of fire from the cannon. ZekeGreymon moved away to avoid it. ExVeemon ran up to the reaper and attacked with a few swift punches. Reapermon blocked the dragon's attacks, retaliating every opportunity he had by punching ExVeemon in the snout. The dragon distracted Reapermon, allowing ZekeGreymon to fly at Reapermon from behind.

"Plasma Railgun!" he bellowed., firing a burst of blue plasma from the blaster on his right hand. Reapermon noticed the attack. He quickly turned around, cutting the blast in half with his claws before turning around and punching ExVeemon in the gut. The dragon groaned in pain, nearly dropping to his knees. ZekeGreymon soared up to the two and slammed Reapermon away with his tail. The digimon slid back a few feet, still standing. He attacked with Bone Duster repeatedly, trying to hit ZekeGreymon. The digimon avoided Reapermon's attacks swiftly, staying airborne. He made sure that the reaper was too busy trying to shoot him out of the sky to notice ExVeemon attack from behind.

"V Laser!"

Crossing his arms in front of himself, ExVeemon fired an energy beam in the shape of an X from his chest. The attack hit Reapermon in the back, but it didn't cause much damage. The reaper turned around to face the dragon, allowing ZekeGreymon the opportunity to attack.

"Zeke Flame!" the digimon roared. ZekeGreymon exhaled a burst of fire from his mouth at Reapermon. ExVeemon jumped away from the reaper and fired off another V Laser. The reaper didn't show any sign of surprise.

"Burning Cyclone!"

Reapermon spun around, creating a tornado of fire that protected himself from both attacks.

_Damn...he's good... _ZekeGreymon thought, _He's easily taking the two of us on...and he's good at both attacking at defending...our attacks barely do any damage alone..._

Reapermon slammed into ExVeemon, hitting the dragon onto a tree. The reaper continued his assault by kicking the dragon in the chest. ZekeGreymon charged from behind and grabbed Reapermon. He took to the skies, taking the reaper with him. ZekeGreymon flipped over and soared towards the ground at an incredible speed. He released his grip on Reapermon seconds before making impact with the ground. The crash caused a huge tremor as rubble fell to the ground near us. The cloud of smoke that blanketed us faded slowly, showing that Reapermon was still conscious, with his armor only having dirt on it, which he brushed off with his hand.

"He's tougher than I imagined..." Kiriha muttered.

"It's amazing how much he can withstand." he heard me under my breath, "He withstood a combined attack from Dorbickmon, ExVeemon and WarGrowlmon, receiving only minimal damage to his armor."

"If that's correct, then fighting him normally won't get us far..." Kiriha clenched his fist, "And we'll be wasting time..."

Reapermon avoided ExVeemon's punches and hit the dragon with an uppercut.

"Bone Duster!" the reaper yelled, unleashing a stream of fire from the arm cannon on his left hand, hitting ExVeemon and blasting him away. The drake hit a tree, and the attack knocked him out, as he degenerated back into Veemon.

"Damn it!" I clenched my fist.

"ZekeGreymon!" Kiriha yelled. The cyborg charged at Reapermon.

"Trident Fang!" ZekeGreymon bellowed. He tried to stab Reapermon with the claw on his left hand. The digimon blocked the attack with his cutlass, and the two engaged in close combat. While ZekeGreymon was distracting him, it gave me the opportunity to pick up Veemon and take him out of the battlefield.

"Are you alright...?"

"Y...yeah..." his eyes winced, catching a small glance at me. "I'm sorry that I can't put up much of a fight against our enemies anymore..."

"Don't say that Veemon. You did a great job...now get some rest..."

The small dragon nodded in agreement, getting stored in my Xros Loader. My attention turned back to the fight.

"At this rate, DarkKnightmon will capture Zamielmon's key before we can chase after him..."

"We need more assistance..." Kiriha told me, "Unfortunately, one of my other digimon is helping Xros Heart in another kingdom..."

As we thought of a strategy, a loud groan came out of my Xros Loader. The voice sounded familiar.

"Dorbickmon...?"

"Urrghh..." the drake snarled in pain. The deep, serious tone of voice was none other than his.

"Reload, Dorbickmon!"

A bright flash emitted from my Xros Loader as the drake appeared next to us. His eyes winced slowly as he rose to his feet, looking around.

"Good, you're awake..."

Dorbickmon looked over at me, and noticed Kiriha next to me. It angered him.

"Blue Flare..." he slightly snarled.

"Look, we don't have time for this. Put your anger aside, Reapermon is back to finish what he started."

The dragon looked over to see the reaper hitting ZekeGreymon away with Burning Cyclone. Dorbickmon snarled, catching Reapermon's attention.

"If fighting Reapermon normally won't work, then we will have to resort to DigiXrossing." Kiriha grabbed his Blue Xros Loader. He turned to me.

"Do you have any other digimon that are able to DigiXros?" the boy asked. Before being able to answer, Veemon interrupted the conversation.

"Carlos!" he called me.

"What is it Veemon?"

"WarGrowlmon's awake!" the dragon told me from inside the Xros Loader. With that piece of information, we planned our next move.

"Thanks Veemon." I told the small dragon, raising my Xros Loader in the air.

"Reload, WarGrowlmon!"

A bright flash emitted from the device, as the digimon appeared next to Dorbickmon. Kiriha repeated the same procedure.

"Reload, Deckerdramon!" the boy yelled. Another bright flash emanated from his Xros Loader as a familiar metal alligator digimon appeared next to him.

"ZekeGreymon!" Kiriha called the cyborg, "Fall back! We are changing our strategy!"

The digimon obeyed the order, jumping away from Reapermon. The reaper glanced over at us.

"Hopefully, with the strength of two digixrossed digimon, we'll be able to turn the tide." Kiriha muttered.

"There's only one way to find out..." my attention turned to him. Both of us nodded slowly, and raised our Xros Loaders in the air.

"ZekeGreymon! Deckerdramon, DigiXros!" Kiriha yelled. A bright light engulfed both digimon.

"DigiXros!" the two roared. Deckerdramon's head replaced the armor on ZekeGreymon's chest, and the cyborg's right gun was replaced with Deckerdramon's tail blaster. His shoulders also gained two small versions of Deckerdramon's missile port. ZekeGreymon's gold armor darkened slightly in shade to better match Deckerdramon's dark brown armor.

"ZekeGreymon, Decker Mode!" the cyborg roared. After they finished, it was our turn.

"Dorbickmon, WarGrowlmon, DigiXros!" I yelled. The two were engulfed in a similar light as they digixrossed together.

"DigiXros!" the two digimon bellowed. Dorbickmon's legs grew in muscle mass. His lower body now resembled WarGrowlmon's, which changed color to match Dorbickmon's scales. The black rings around WarGrowlmon's legs weren't there anymore though. The armor on Dorbickmon's chest was replaced with WarGrowlmon's, and the two spikes on Dorbickmon's gauntlets were replaced by WarGrowlmon's Radiation Blades. Dorbickmon's mouth and jaw was now mechanical, being the same as WarGrowlmon's. The two cannons he wielded on his chest were now smaller, being similar to the gun ports WarGrowlmon wielded. Dorbickmon also gained WarGrowlmon's vernier thrusters on his shoulders, and the three horns on his back were gone. Along with gaining WarGrowlmon's tail, the emblem of fire Dorbickmon normally wielded on his cannons now appeared on the center of his chest.

"Dorbickmon, War Mode!" he roared. The dragon bellowed loudly. Reapermon wasn't fazed by the dragon's roar.

"DigiXrossing..." he muttered. He aimed his arm cannon at Dorbickmon and ZekeGreymon for the next part of the fight. ZekeGreymon and Dorbickmon charged at the reaper.

"Bone Duster!" Reapermon unleashed a burst of flames from the cannon.

"Dragon Blades!" Dorbickmon roared. His voice was much more feral when digixrossed with WarGrowlmon. He used the arm blades on his gauntlets to cut Reapermon's attacks into thirds, nullifying the flames. The reaper avoided the two from slamming into him, but they quickly turned in the air to face him.

"Destroy Tailhook!" ZekeGreymon roared. He swung around and hit Reapermon with his tail, knocking the reaper away. He then charged up the blaster on his right hand and fired a blast of blue energy. Reapermon shielded his core from the blast, receiving damage on his arms. Dorbickmon chased after him, grabbing Reapermon by the leg and slamming him on the ground. The dragon's eye flashed, using his Burning the Dragon technique to make stalactites rise from the ground around the reaper and trap him from standing.

"Now's your chance! Hit him with everything you've got!" Kiriha ordered. The missile ports on ZekeGreymon's shoulders opened up, as he moved away from Reapermon.

"Decker Smasher!" the cyborg roared. He spun around rapidly, shooting out missiles, as well as energy blasts from the gun on ZekeGreymon's tail. All the attacks homed in on Reapermon, who couldn't free himself. The blasts caused a chain of explosions, not allowing the reaper an opportunity to retaliate.

"Keep it up!" I yelled. The gun ports on Dorbickmon's chest lit up.

"Atomic Fire!" the dragon roared. He unleashed two huge streams of fire that hit Reapermon dead on, exploding and causing a huge smoke cloud to rise. ZekeGreymon and Dorbickmon continued their assault, causing a lot of destruction to the area. They ceased fire a few seconds later, allowing the smoke to start clearing. We noticed Reapermon's silhouette start to form. The reaper was still alive, but the assault had inflicted a lot of damage to his body. He struggled to stand, giving us one last opportunity.

"Finish it!" Kiriha yelled. ZekeGreymon charged at the reaper, with the claw on his left hand ready. However, DarkKnightmon interfered before he could make the kill, hitting the digimon away with a powerful kick to the cheek.

"What...?!" Kiriha's eyes widened with shock. ZekeGreymon stayed in the air, stopping himself.

"Not one step..." the knight growled. We noticed Slayerdramon and Zamielmon on his back. Both digimon were out cold, and the knight showed us the green diamond in the palm of his hand.

"I've acquired what I want." he muttered, "Now unless you want both of these two to be nothing but data, you'll back off..."

He dropped the two digimon, and pointed the tip of his Twin Spear at Slayerdramon's neck.

"What makes you think we're going to let you get away with all this?!" Kiriha yelled.

"Because I know you won't let this unconscious drake fall by my hand because of a simple mistake you two make..." he growled. DarkKnightmon wasn't toying around with us this time. ZekeGreymon and Dorbickmon snarled at the knight, with their weapons armed. Reapermon managed to stand up, slowly walking over to DarkKnightmon. The reaper pointed his sickle blade at Slayerdramon's neck to help his master. It allowed DarkKnightmon to use Super Dimensional Ax to open a portal for the two to escape. It was a difficult moment for us since we had the opportunity to finish Reapermon off. The digimon glared at us.

"Next time..." he growled, "It won't end this way..."

He and DarkKnightmon entered the portal, which closed behind them. We ran over to Slayerdramon and Zamielmon when they were gone.

"Hey, wake up!"

Slayerdramon wouldn't respond to my call. Storing him in the Xros Loader to heal, Kiriha turned to me.

"Zamielmon won't respond either." he informed. This situation with DarkKnightmon has now become more serious than before.

"...we'll take him to Shoutmon's Castle. Once we're there, I'll talk to Shoutmon and Taiki. It's about time they get involved with this."

Kiriha nodded in agreement with the plan. ZekeGreymon and Dorbickmon reverted from their digixrossed forms. While storing WarGrowlmon and Dorbickmon in my Xros Loader, Kiriha stored Deckerdramon in his device. ZekeGreymon picked up Zamielmon, and we climbed onto the cyborg's back. He took flight, heading towards Shoutmon's Castle. Once there, Zamielmon was taken into one of the rooms like the other three Death Generals were. After that, Shoutmon and Taiki met us in the throne room.

"It's about time I told you what DarkKnightmon is after." I told them. For the next half hour, they were informed about Examon's story, and about the Royal Knights sealing away ExoGrimmon, as well as the seven keys hidden inside each Death General. They nodded in understanding.

"I see...so this whole pandemic is just to keep us all busy while he goes after the Death Generals..." Taiki muttered.

"And so far, he's succeeded, no matter what resistance you've put up against him." Shoutmon crossed his arms, looking down.

"I'm running out of ideas...anything we've tried, he still manages to get the better of us."

"Not this time." Shoutmon looked at me, "We're going to help. He'll have much more trouble to deal with this time..."

"The only way to find out who he's after next is to track all that dark energy." they heard me mutter, "During our previous battles in Cyber Land and Vampire Land, the areas we fought him in were emitting large amounts of dark energy when he was around."

"The same thing occurred in Honey Land." Kiriha added.

"Alright then." Shoutmon nodded, "Go get some rest for now. We'll use the communicator to contact you once we know his next target."

"Alright..."

On that note, we parted ways to get some rest. Arriving at Dorbickmon's Castle just before night fall, Slayerdramon was reloaded onto his bed. He remained unconscious for the rest of the night. Dorbickmon appeared out of the device as well, walking away to rest as well. The next day, Dorbickmon left early to Shoutmon's Castle. When I walked into Slayerdramon's room, the dragon wasn't there. My search for him led me to a hill not too far off from the castle, where he could be seen from afar.

"Hey..." my voice caught his attention. He turned around to look at me.

"Hi..." he muttered.

"What are you doing here, Slayerdramon?"

He stayed silent. Instead of telling me, he showed me what he was doing up here by moving out of the way. There was a small mound he made out of some stones and flowers. He built it in front of a tree.

"What is this...?"

"...it's a small memorial for Ouryumon." Slayerdramon muttered. He placed a small yellow jewel on top of the stones that was cracked in the center. "Now that the organization is gone. It's time for me to start that new life...and this is something I thought of to preserve his memory..."  
"I see..."

"This small jewel was the object that was taken from me when we first met." he explained to me. "He brought it back to me, but it was cracked. Either way, I've kept it ever since..."

I placed a hand on his arm, smiling slightly. "...I think that's a great idea Slayerdramon."

The dragon looked at me, giving a smile. My communicator started ringing.

"...you should answer that." he told me. Nodding in agreement, the one who was calling was Shoutmon.

"What is it?"

"We've figured out where DarkKnightmon's going next. There's a lot of dark energy emanating from Gold Land." he told us.

"Alright. We'll meet you at the castle."

Ending the call, Slayerdramon rose to his feet.

"Shall we get going?" he heard me ask. The dragon nodded slowly.

"Let's."

Walking away, Slayerdramon followed slowly. He turned around, glancing at the memorial for a moment.

_Ouryumon...thanks...I'll live this new life for the both of us..._

He turned around, following after me. Storing Slayerdramon in the Xros Loader and reloading WarGrowlmon, the cyborg placed me on his shoulder. He charged up the vernier thrusters and took flight, heading towards Shoutmon's Castle.

* * *

Author's Note: Another chapter down. Also, about that last scene. I've seen that in a few animes where they kill a character and he's just forgotten a few chapters later. This is at least to show that Slayerdramon and the others aren't forgetting Ouryumon, and his memory lives on.


End file.
